


Fated Enemies

by spaced_out_imagines



Category: Code:Realize ～創世の姫君～ | Code: Realize - Guardian of Rebirth (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Internal Conflict, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Spoilers for Lupin's route, Spoilers for Van Helsing's route
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 37,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24598411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaced_out_imagines/pseuds/spaced_out_imagines
Summary: Two years after the massacre at the Vampire Mansion, Y/n L/n was dutifully serving her young king, Delacroix II. The two of them were hellbent on getting revenge for their people by any means necessary, starting with getting the missing belongings of their people back. However, during one particular heist, they run into the man who is one of the main causes of their suffering.Abraham Van HelsingSeeing no other choice, the two join him and his group as they each try to reach their individual goals. But as their journey continues, Y/n begins to have conflicting feelings regarding the man she hates with all her heart. Will that flame of hatred continue to burn inside her or will it finally be extinguished after all they go through? Only time and fate know.
Relationships: Abraham Van Helsing (Code: Realize)/Original Female Character(s), Abraham Van Helsing (Code: Realize)/Reader, Delacroix II (Code: Realize) & Original Female Character(s), Delacroix II (Code: Realize) & Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue

I should be dead, but I’m not. I should have died along with my people two years ago, but instead, here I stand filled with hatred and anger. These emotions overflow and consume me, enveloping me in a hellstorm that I cannot escape from. I watched my race, my friends and loved ones, be eradicated by those people.

By those humans.

And I couldn’t do anything to stop it.

I watched helplessly as their lives were stolen, as their bodies fell to the ground unmoving, as their screams left their lips. I wanted to help, to protect them, to save them. But as I looked at the small hand clinging to my coat, as I looked at the face of my young prince I knew I had to get him out of danger first. His life was the thing I devoted myself to protect and he was my first priority.

I had lifted his body to my chest and took off in a run, never looking back. As I passed corpse after corpse I pressed his face to my shoulder, he shouldn’t have had to see such carnage and bloodshed.

I had continued to run, avoiding enemies and looking for the safest route. However, as we were about to pass the main hall I stopped for a moment. Down the stairs, I could see my king fighting a human. But this one had stood out to me. Because I knew this human, had thought of him as a companion and had trusted him.

It was Abraham Van Helsing.

They were engaged in a fierce duel and I couldn’t look away. I was so entranced that I didn’t realize my young prince had lifted his head to watch. A moment later it happened.

I watched as Van Helsing killed my king in cold blood.  
I bit back a scream and managed to cover my prince’s mouth before he let out a sound himself. I then turned around and ran, looking for another escape route. I muffled the young boy’s screams by pressing his face into my shoulder once more. As we escaped the mansion tears fell freely from my eyes and once we were far enough away the young boy and I had let out twin screams of grief.

We had escaped, but no one else had. We were the lone survivors of a massacre, a genocide. I felt a part of me break that day, knowing so many of my people died. However, in the days that passed that grief soon turned to anger as I devoted myself to two tasks. Two tasks that I was determined to finish before I died.

The first was to protect my prince, the young boy who was now king. I promised to become his shield and to defend him until I took my last breath.

The second one was to kill the man I had once trusted. The man who had killed my king and so many others.

My second mission was to kill Abraham Van Helsing and make him pay for what he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, thank you for reading my work. I really appreciate the support and constructive criticism is appreciated! This isn't my first time writing or publishing my work but this is my first time using ao3 so please go slightly easy on me if there are a few mistakes. This has been an idea that's been stewing in my mind for a while so please join me for this long and hopefully enjoyable journey.


	2. An Unwelcome Reunion

I took a deep breath of the cool night air. The moon was high in the sky and there wasn’t a single sound. I basked in the silence as I gathered my thoughts. Although we had done this a couple of times already I was still nervous, my skin tingling with anticipation.

It was time to steal back another vampire treasure, to steal back one of our possessions from those greedy humans who kept them, believing it would give them superhuman powers. They were fools, all of them. Those objects didn’t grant powers at all, there was nothing supernatural about them. They were simply the mementos of people long gone, who left this mortal realm long ago. They were special, yes, but only to us vampires. 

They held no significance to those cruel beings.

So Dracula and I had a duty to take them back. To us, it wasn’t stealing, but taking back what was stolen from us. And this item was the most important one of them all. Because it was the necklace that had belonged to the previous king of vampires, the Nosferatu Saber.

We couldn’t fail to get this one back.

As I continued to look at the sky I heard a voice call out from behind me. “Y/n, it’s time to get going,” Dracula said. I heard him approach me, stopping when he was right behind me.

I turned around to face my young king, a small smile on my lips. “Already pup? Are you sure you are prepared?” I asked teasingly.

Dracula glared at me slightly, “of course I’m prepared. I’ve been waiting for this moment. We have to get back the Nosferatu Saber at all costs.”

I chuckled and ruffled his hair, causing his glare to shift into a slight pout. “I know pup. Don’t worry I’ll be right behind you to back you up if things go awry. With how our past heists have been going though I doubt you’ll need my help at all,” I said with a grin as I attempted to sound completely confident.

Dracula simply nodded in reply, a determined look in his eyes. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along as we began to walk to our destination. Our prize was being sold at an infamous auction house, and although I knew there would be quite a few people with dark connections to the underworld there I allowed myself to be tugged along. I had faith in my young king and there was no way I would allow the Nosferatu Saber to remain in human hands any longer.

As we walked, I looked up at the moon once more. As I stared at it I couldn’t but ask for it to watch over and protect us as we threw ourselves into danger once more.

(...)

We soon arrived at the casino where the auction was being held. Dracula looked at me and I nodded back, telling him I was ready. He gave my hand a quick squeeze before letting go, facing the entrance of the tent that the auction was taking place in. He took a deep breath before opening the flap and walking in with me right behind him.

“Asinine humans, do not touch that with your filthy hands!” Dracula yelled, “as announced, I am gracing you with my presence to take back what is mine!”

I heard people start talking to each other, all of them reacting to my young king’s words. I saw several big figures shift and take out various weapons. “Is that him?!” I heard one of them call while another yelled, “the thief… Where is he?”. I instantly realized that these were probably people hired to protect the precious necklace.

“Over there! By the tent entrance!” another bounty hunter said as he stood up and pointed at us, causing everyone to turn and stare at us.

Dracula didn’t bat an eye, not even hesitating as he strode forward. I walked right behind him, keeping pace, as he led us to the center of the tent. He raised his voice once again, “Stand aside, fools! I am here to reclaim that which is rightfully mine!” I stayed silent, allowing him to speak for both of us. I didn’t really have anything to say to these particular humans anyways.

“He’s... a kid... right? Doesn’t look like some master thief to me. And that girl beside him doesn’t look that strong either,” one of the bounty hunters muttered. After that comment, the other people around him also started to murmur, until eventually, people started to laugh and taunt us.

One of the big men approached us and tried to shoo us away. “Hey, kid. This is no place for people like you two. Go back home to your mommies.” I narrowed my eyes at him but didn’t give in to his jabs. I knew Dracula would make him eat those words.

“I am no mere child,” Dracula shouted, his voice rising as he continued, “I have come to take a treasure from you lowly humans! Didn’t you get my letter?!”

The other men started to insult the man who approached us. “Hey now! How are you gonna handle the thief if you can’t even get a little kid and a lady to go home?” one of them said. 

“Idiot, he’s talking circles around you!” another yelled.

The man in front of us scowled, “tch...Fine. Little boys and frail ladies who don’t listen to their elders need to be punished, don’t they?” He slowly raised his arm but the two of us didn’t even flinch.

“Are you challenging me to a battle? You’re going to regret this,” Dracula stated, staring at the man.

“You’d better watch your mouth,” the man said angrily, as he swung down.

However, the young king moved faster. Dracula quickly punched the man, causing him to fly up into the air. A second later he crashed into the ground and I couldn’t help but smirk at the sound. He deserved that for taunting the leader of the vampires.

The rest of the crowd fell silent for a couple of seconds before one of the bounty hunters yelled, “wh-what the hell did you do?!”

“I just gave him a light tap with my fist,” Dracula said nonchalantly. I bit back a laugh at his relaxed remark and I forced my face to remain neutral. “Now, who else wants to fly?” he asked with a smug little grin.

I could hear people murmuring to each other but no one else came forward to stand in our way. Dracula gracefully leaped onto the stage at the front of the room and I jumped up after him, taking my place by his side once again. “Hear me, humans. I am the King of the Night, Leader of the Nosferatu, and heir to the Delacroix name,” he shouted, “I am Delacroix II.”

At his words, the crowd began to stir and panic. “A v-vampire!” one woman shrieked. “A blood heir to Delacroix?! He’s here to get revenge on humanity…!” another person cried. The people in the room began to run around in an attempt to flee.

“As promised, I shall take this!” Dracula yelled at the top of his lungs. He grabbed the pendant from the cart it was placed on before putting it in his coat.

“He’s got it!” one of the bounty hunters said.

“We just have to catch him, that’s all!” another stated. Quickly the men climbed onto the stage and pointed their guns at the two of us. We stayed calm however, we knew we could get out of this situation easily. “Don’t move you two! One step and you’ll have more holes than swiss cheese!” the same man told us.

“Aim for their legs! We’ll split the prize money, got it?” one of them said.

I glanced at Dracula, he had a calm smile on his face causing me to grin as well. The men shot at us, gunshots ringing through the air. However, none of the bullets hit us as we swiftly dodged.

The men looked at us in shock. “We definitely hit them..! Why aren’t they wounded?!” a man yelled.

Dracula scoffed, “idiots. We evaded the bullets, obviously.”

“D-don’t be stupid! There’s not a human alive who could dodge a bullet from this close!”

“I see. Unfortunately for you, we’re not human!” the young boy shouted back. The two of us got into fighting stances before launching into action. Dracula threw some punches at the men while I kicked them in their weak spots. A moment later, all of them were on the ground except for one.

“N-no… way…” the remaining man muttered. As he collapsed silence filled the room.

Dracula turned to face the crowd, his eyes filled with anger and hatred as he stared at them. “Fear us, humans! This is our anger and our pain!” Dracula told them, “I will make a proclamation here and now! The vampire lineage will never forgive you! I promise the suffering and pain endured by our people will be equally shared by all of you!”

His words seemed to make the people even more scared, their screams got louder and the panic in the room increased. Dracula simply laughed before he slipped past the curtains on the stage and ran. I followed right behind him, a grin on my face as we made our escape. As we began to make our way out of the casino I sped up a little to run alongside him instead.

“To the woods?” I asked quietly. There were some woods nearby that would make it easy to lose any pursuers who tried to keep up with us. The trees and foliage were dense and with our nimbleness, it would be easy to lose any stragglers on our tail.

Dracula nodded, and we both ran a straight path to the treeline. Soon we ran into the woods, running around trees and leaping over bushes. The commotion from the casino and the shouts from the chasing bounty hunters were all left behind and soon it was silent. I felt the tenseness in my shoulders disappear. We were in the home stretch now.

We soon broke into a clearing and Dracula slowed to a stop for a moment. There didn’t seem to be anyone following us anymore so I didn’t protest or push him to keep going. “Let’s stop for a moment here to catch our breath,” he said. I nodded and watched as he took out the Nosferatu Saber from his coat. He held it in his hands and stared at it, a wistful look on his face. I walked up to him and put my arm around his shoulders in comfort. I could tell he was thinking of his parents at that moment. 

Suddenly we heard a rustling from some nearby bushes. The two of us looked up in surprise and watched as several figures stepped into the clearing. The group consisted of five people, four men, and one woman. One of the men was wearing a red coat and had a top hat covering his brown hair, another had glasses perched atop his nose and wore a lab coat. One of the other men had long red hair and was clad in an orange jumpsuit while the final man wore a strange coat and what seemed to be several watches. The lady, on the other hand, wore a white blouse and pants along with a brimmed hat.

I stepped in front of Dracula, attempting to push him behind me, as I glared angrily at the group. I wasn’t going to let these humans take him if that was what they were trying to do. Dracula stayed behind me but did not let me hide him from view as he stared at the new people.

“What’s this? Did you… follow us here? I’m surprised that there are humans capable of keeping up with us,” Dracula said, dumbfounded, “still, I’m not giving back the pendant, and I won’t let you capture us either.” Dracula quietly tucked the pendant back into his coat, not looking away from them for a moment.

The man in the red coat stepped forward. “If it belonged to your father, then we have no business trying to take it away from you,” he said, “and it doesn’t sit right with us to hand you both over to the London Firm.”

“Then why have you followed us? You don’t want the pendant back, and you don’t want to catch us,” Dracula asked, “...I don’t see what the point was.”

This time the man in the lab coat piped up, “We’d like you to… turn yourselves in. Not to the London Firm, of course. We know someone at the Yard who can be trusted. You can explain the situation to him, and be handled appropriately there.”

I could feel Dracula shift behind me and he reached out to put his hand on my shoulder. He gently moved me to the side slightly as he stepped forward. As he got into a fighting stance he said, “...It’s not your place to decide. Humans are all the same to us. Stand in our way, and we won’t hold back.”

When he said this I also shifted my stance, ready to pounce if they tried anything. As I stared at these humans I could feel the hatred I had for them fill my body. While these people might not have directly caused the death of my people they could not be trusted. I refused to let them interfere with my king’s plans.

Suddenly the lady stepped forward and I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at her actions. She had to know that she didn’t stand a chance against two vampires alone. However, instead of attacking us she simply said, “Don’t worry. We’re not going to hurt you. We’re on your side.”

The two of us simply continued to stare at them. “...I have very little reason to believe that, human,” Dracula said and I nodded in agreement, “you’re likely just after the reward.”

“If you two murder a human and taint your hands with blood, as you said you will, then we won’t hesitate to capture you,” the man with the many watches said, “however, if you’re still undecided… I have a suggestion. Why don’t you come back to my mansion for a nice cup of tea? You might be able to make a better decision once you’ve calmed down.”

Dracula and I shared a look, his conviction was clear in his eyes and I nodded in response. If he was certain on what path he was going to take I would follow him wherever he went. He turned back to the group and said, “...our minds are already clear. We politely decline your offer.”

Just as we were preparing for them to attack us we all heard a new set of footsteps approaching from behind the others. Another figure stepped out from the treeline into the clearing and I couldn’t help but stare in shock. I was frozen in place as the person who I least expected to show up appeared. The man that I have hated with my entire being for the past two years. The one who was the direct cause of the death of so many vampires.

“Abraham Van Helsing...” I hissed in anger as he stepped in front of the group and stared at us, not even paying attention to the others.

“You caught up!” I heard the lady say quietly, but Van Helsing didn’t even glance her way. He simply continued to glare at us, his face as stoic as ever.

I could feel my blood begin to boil under my skin, as extreme rage began to fill my entire body. This man, I watched this man kill my beloved king in cold blood, with no remorse. I could still hear the gunshots echo in my mind and I felt the desire to rip his body apart with my own hands consume me. Beside me, I could feel Dracula shift as well, both in surprise and due to the feelings that were beginning to overwhelm him.

“You…” Dracula said quietly, still a bit shocked at Van Helsing’s appearance.

“It’s been a while, ‘son of the dragon’,” Van Helsing said before his gaze shifted to me, “and his shield.”

“I…left that name behind. I’ve taken on the name of my father,” Dracula told him, glaring at our most hated enemy who now stood in front of us. 

Van Helsing’s face changed, almost taking on a somber look. “I see. So do you want me to call you ‘Delacroix II instead, Dracula?” he asked.

From behind him, I could see his companions were confused, did he not tell them about his past?

Suddenly, before I could stop him or even make a move of my own, Dracula got up close to Van Helsing and swung his fist. However, Van Helsing was able to block the blow with his gun despite jumping back due to the force.

“How dare you…! You dare to show yourself in front of us… Have you no shame?!” Dracula screamed. Although his voice was angry I could also hear the agony beneath it all. Seeing Van Helsing had opened old wounds for us both, as I struggled to hold myself back from leaping at the man. I knew Dracula wanted to kill Van Helsing himself, and unless my king was in immediate danger I would not interfere.

“Keep going this way, and you will fall to the darkness… Just like me,” Van Helsing told him, that same somber look on his face. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought the sight of us had caused him pain as well.

“You have no right to talk, Van Helsing!” Dracula yelled as he continued to throw several punches. Van Helsing calmly blocked them all, displaying just how strong he still was even after two years. “I’ll kill you! I swear it!” the young king yelled once more.

“Unfortunately, I can’t die quite yet,” Van Helsing replied. As Van Helsing swung his gun I was about to jump in but Dracula was able to avoid it by jumping back. As Dracula backed up I ran up to him and put my hand on his back to steady him. He remained in a fighting stance and I stayed right behind him, glaring at Van Helsing who was now a few meters away. Van Helsing still had his guns drawn and none of us moved as we didn’t break eye contact.

However, after a moment we heard another voice coming from nearby. “I found them! Over here!” a man yelled, causing me to curse under my breath. It seemed like the bounty hunters had finally caught up to us. 

Dracula looked in the direction of the voices before glancing up at me. I nodded and whispered, “time to go.”

He got out of his fighting stance before addressing Van Helsing once more. “Van Helsing… I’ll wait for you at the place where you murdered my father,” he told the man, “if you do not come, I will hunt you down and kill you, and every last person who is important to you.” He then looked at the others, “the same goes for the rest of you… _Everyone_.” He let that threat hang in the air for a moment and I had no doubt in my mind that he was being serious. 

His glare caused the woman to take a few steps backward, whether it was in fear or in shock I couldn’t tell, but I had no sympathy for her.

“...Our paths have crossed for too long. We shall bring an end to this,” Dracula said. He turned to leave and grabbed my hand to pull me along but I didn’t move right away, causing him to pause.

I stood there for a few more moments staring at Van Helsing, our eyes never looking away from each other. I couldn’t properly read his face, but his eyes almost looked sad or remorseful as he looked at me, but I shook off that feeling. I knew Dracula and I had to get going but I had a few words to say to Van Helsing first.

“Van Helsing… you took everything away from me two years ago. I will never forgive you for that,” I said, “I will help my liege in every way I can to kill you, and I will not stop hating you until we have your head or until I myself die.”

“I don’t expect you to forgive me Y/n… I betrayed you in the worst way possible,” he said, his voice low, “but you know if you get human blood on your hands there is no turning back.”

“...I’m fine with that,” I replied, “for my king, I would gladly throw myself into the darkness with no remorse.” I finally turned away from him, squeezing Dracula’s hand. “We’ll see you soon… Abraham Van Helsing,” I said, over my shoulder. I then pulled Dracula along as we fled from the scene, disappearing into the night as if we were never there in the first place.

(...)

The two of us didn’t say anything until we reached the vampire mansion where we lived. It was also the place where the vampire massacre had happened, but once all of the commotions had settled down we had managed to sneak back in and clean it to the best of our ability. Initially, I didn’t want Dracula to help, as there were so many bodies but he was adamant in helping me bury our dead.

The two of us remained in silence for a few more moments. Although no words were exchanged I could still feel the anger radiating off of Dracula. I was no better however, as I was also struggling to contain my rage. 

“Y/n…” Dracula finally said, causing me to look up at him. His eyes were filled with hatred and as he stared at me I couldn’t help but compare them to a raging inferno. Seeing Van Helsing had awakened something within my young king and if I was being honest I wasn’t exactly sure if that was a good thing.

“When Van Helsing comes here I’m going to be the one to kill him,” he told me, “I don’t want you interfering.”

“But pup… Van Helsing is very strong. Are you sure you can kill him all by yourself…?” I asked hesitantly.

He simply glared at me, causing my mouth to go dry. Dracula had never looked at me like that before. “It is my duty as the king to kill him myself, without any help. I do not want you jumping in. Understand?”

For a moment I didn’t say anything but I eventually muttered, “yes my liege.” I wasn’t happy about his decision. As a vampire, I wanted to help him kill Van Helsing, to get revenge for my people with my own two hands. But my king’s words were absolute and I knew I couldn’t do anything to change his mind. 

However, in my mind, I made a promise to myself. If Dracula was ever in mortal danger during his fight with Van Helsing I would interfere right away. I was his shield and his protector, and I would gladly put my life on the line to save him if need be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter one. I hope it was an enjoyable read and that you are looking forward to the next one. I am aiming for weekly updates for now so check in again in a week to see what will happen next. Thank you for your continued support!


	3. A Hesitant Decision

As I sat on the stairs in the main hall I couldn’t help but anxiously shake my leg. It was the day after we had gone to the auction and Dracula and I were in the main hall waiting for Van Helsing to arrive. Knowing him, he would waste no time and would come to this place as quickly as he could. I couldn’t help but wonder if the rest of that group would tag along with him though. Van Helsing wasn’t the type to have comrades but there was still a possibility they would follow him. 

Van Helsing by himself was a huge threat, and if more people were added to the equation I wasn’t sure if things would turn out well for me and Dracula.

As I was trying not to tear my hair out, Dracula paced on one of the steps above me. I could tell he was also anxious but, like me, he refused to voice it. He felt like he couldn’t because as the Vampire King, he was supposed to be calm and composed, able to support our race by himself. However, he was also a child and I had to remind him that I was there for him.

“Are you sure you’re ready to fight Van Helsing pup?” I asked, “I’m not doubting your strength but this man was able to kill… the late King, the most powerful vampire of us all.”

Dracula looked down at me, his gaze was fierce and unyielding. “I’ve been ready to kill that man since the day he massacred our people Y/n. I vowed that I would kill him with my own two hands and I won’t let anything get in my way.”

“I’m not doubting your convictions and you know I will always support you and have your back,” I said, “I just don’t want you to get hurt or worse…”

“I’m sorry Y/n but I am fighting Van Helsing when he arrives. I will not argue about it any further,” he said, “understood?”

I stared at him for a few moments before muttering, “yes my king…”

There were a few minutes of silence before we heard footsteps coming from down the hall. Dracula stopped pacing and looked up, “they’re here.”

I stood up and stared as the six figures made their way into the open space. I kept my face neutral and composed despite the worry that continued to grow inside of me. It seemed like Van Helsing had decided to bring his companions after all, which didn’t help our situation. I looked down at all of them, my eyes narrowing as my gaze settled on Van Helsing. That same rage that had filled me yesterday slowly consumed me once more. I wanted him dead and if I had the choice I would have leaped at him at that very moment. But I refrained.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Van Helsing,” Dracula said, looking down at them from where he stood on the staircase, “I shall have your head in this place, where my father spent his last moments.”

I could feel the tension in the room rise at the young king’s words, but without hesitation, Van Helsing stepped forward. However, he didn’t draw his guns, which caused me to raise an eyebrow.

“Van Helsing?” the lady asked.

“...Stand back and watch,” Van Helsing simply said.

The others looked at him in surprise. “Woah, woah, are you sure you don’t need our help?” the red-haired man said.

“This is my problem to deal with. You can all stay back here,” he replied, his face as stoic as ever.

“Ho… You came with a retinue, but don’t seek their help? I don’t care if you all attack me at once,” Dracula said, “it’s just a matter of having more dead bodies to clean up afterward.” I bit back a protest at his words. As angry as I was towards humans, taking them all on while also fighting Van Helsing was simply not a wise move.

“You sure enjoy talking, Delacroix… Do you fear me?” Van Helsing asked, causing me to growl under my breath, “why don’t you go ahead and kill me if you hate me that much? That is… if you can.”

There was a moment of silence as the two of them stared at each other, the unease and tension swirling through the air. “...Very well,” Dracula said, as he brushed his cape back and raised his fists, getting into a fighting stance, “don’t think I’m the same as before. I have been training endlessly for the sole purpose of ending your life.” 

As he said this I also shifted my own stance a little and moved my hand closer to the twin dagger sheaths on my waist, readying myself. I wouldn’t step in right away but I knew I had to be ready to interfere if the scales tipped in Van Helsing’s favour. Even if the young king was hellbent on not letting me do anything. 

“My father’s regret… my mother’s misery, and my people’s anger, will all be avenged here and now!” Dracula yelled, “here I come, Van Helsing!” The young king rushed towards Van Helsing, covering the distance between them in an instant. He threw a punch but Van Helsing easily blocked it. “Do you take me for a fool?! You don’t even have your guns out…!” Dracula said. He continued to throw several punches, however, Van Helsing took them all without even changing his expression. “What’s the matter…?! Aren’t you going to fight back?!” the boy said, as Van Helsing merely blocked another one of his punches, “you…! How far must your mockery go?!”

They continued to fight, Dracula on the offensive throwing punch after punch while Van Helsing was on the defensive, taking them all. However, Dracula was never able to get the advantage despite his relentless attacks as Van Helsing was able to block them all with ease. From the corner of my eye, I could see the rest of the group talking amongst themselves but I never let myself get distracted from the two fighting.

Suddenly, Van Helsing suddenly switched tactics, sinking his fist into Dracula’s abdomen. “Guh…!” Dracula grunted. 

Van Helsing quickly delivered a blow to the boy’s head with his elbow. I took a slight step forward, biting down hard on my lip to prevent myself from yelling out. Dracula jumped back in defense but before he could recover Van Helsing had his two shotguns out, one pointed at Dracula the other pointed at me. I grabbed the hilt of one of my daggers but I didn’t move, knowing any sudden movements would cause Van Helsing to pull the triggers.

“Move, and I’ll shoot,” Van Helsing said, his face calm. He managed to turn the tables in a moment, just like how he managed to catch and kill all of us vampires by surprise that day two years ago. I tightened my grip on my dagger. However, this time I would not run away. I would not let him kill my king again.

“So? I can easily avoid anything you try to shoot at me…!” Dracula shouted at the man.

“Would you like to try it? If you do, it will cost you your life,” Van Helsing stated, “you yourself should already understand. You are far weaker than your late father. You cannot defeat me.” He paused for a second before saying, “...and I’m sure your shield knows it too.”

I couldn’t help but bristle at the comment and I saw Dracula tense up as well. “Then shoot!” he screamed.

“I only seek your surrender. I had no intention of harming you from the start,” Van Helsing said. I narrowed my eyes at the comment. There was no way he was telling the truth. He killed almost all of us brutally in cold blood. And now that the last of the Delacroix was before him, why would he simply want us to surrender.

“What… is the meaning of this?!” Dracula asked, “you would show me mercy, now that it’s far too late? Then… Why didn’t you show us this mercy two years ago?!”

“I don’t want to shoot you.”

“You…! If it wasn’t for you…! Mother and father would still be alive!” Dracula screamed. My eyes widened as I could see the boy tense. He was going to jump at Van Helsing. Internally I made a split-second decision. My dagger wouldn’t be fast enough to knock Van Helsing’s aim off however he was focusing mostly on Dracula, which meant he wouldn’t see me move. I wouldn’t be able to overpower him or wrestle the gun away in time so that left me with one choice.

I ran forward seconds before Dracula leaped, colliding with him and pushing him to the ground right as a gunshot rang throughout the room. I felt something hard hit my back causing me to cry out in pain as I slumped over Dracula.

“Y/n! What are you doing? I told you not to interfere!” Dracula cried, staring into my eyes as I shook my head no. At that moment I also realized I didn’t feel any blood soaking into my clothes. He hadn’t shot me with a regular bullet but instead something that just left a big impact without any mortal wounds.

“I warned you…” Van Helsing muttered.

“Van Helsing! I’ll kill you!” the young king yelled, trying to get up once more. I pushed him to the ground again just as another gunshot rang out, causing more excruciating pain to flare through my back. “Y/n let me go! Stop taking the shots for me. As your king, I am ordering you!”

“I am sorry… my king… but I cannot do that,” I said although one of my eyes remained closed in pain, “I am your shield and I have a duty to protect you. Plus pup, I cannot watch you die.”

Dracula's eyes began to water but his gaze remained firm and absolute. “Y/n I have to kill him. Please stop getting in my way,” Dracula said as he tried to get up once more but I tightened my grip on him. However, I felt another shot hit my shoulder which caused me to cry out and topple over onto my side. “Van Helsing!” Dracula yelled, leaping for the man as he was now free from my grip. Van Helsing merely shot him without hesitation, causing the boy’s body to fly backward. Van Helsing proceeded forward, getting closer to the boy and he passed me as he did, although he made a point to keep out of range if I tried to kick him.

“No!” I cried, trying to get up but my arms buckled from underneath me. Thankfully, it seemed like Van Helsing was using the shots he used on me, as Dracula did not appear to be bleeding. He tried to get up but Van Helsing simply shot him again sending him sprawling onto the ground. “Stop it!” I scream as I continued to struggle to get up as my back and shoulder still hurt.

Dracula slowly got up again, although he was clearly in pain, as he yelled, “I will destroy you and everything you hold dear!” Another shotgun blast hit him causing him to scream.

Van Helsing continued to shoot the young king a couple more times as he said, “stay down.”

Dracula didn’t listen, fighting to get up once more. “I will get my revenge… No matter what! I will never forgive you for betraying my parents’ kindness…!”

“My king please just stop! Just run!” I screamed at him. He let out another cry as he was shot down once more, his body being blown away and he rolled across the floor. “Stop it please enough!” Another gunshot. I finally managed to get up into a crouch. “Please stop! Dracula!” I sprinted forward, passing Van Helsing, and wrapped the young king’s body in my arms. My back was facing the man and I cradled the boy’s limp body as he no longer had the strength to move.

Just as I braced myself for another shot I heard the woman’s voice ring out, “That’s enough, Van Helsing!”

For a few moments no one spoke, the only sounds that could be heard was Dracula’s groans of pain and my own harsh breathing. I stroked the young boy’s hair and hugged him tighter, trying to distract him from his bruises.

“It should be clear that you’re no match for me, Delacroix II,” Van Helsing said, causing me to look over my shoulder at him, “there is no way you can defeat me with your capabilities, even with Y/n’s help. And… stop stealing treasures. Humans can be more cruel than the two of you can imagine. If you don’t stay on your toes, you’re going to be consumed someday.” He paused for a second before he continued, “...Give up trying to take your revenge out on the entire human race.”

Dracula shifted in my arms so he could stare at Van Helsing, but he didn’t attempt to escape my grasp this time. “I will never forgive you, Van Helsing! Not you, not ever…!”

“Yes, I’m the only one deserving your ire,” the man said before falling silent. He stared at the two of us and I held his gaze the entire time. His eyes looked as steely as ever, but if I looked closely I thought I could see some sadness hiding underneath. 

In contrast, I knew the only emotions my eyes held were anger and hatred. Dracula was right, we could never forgive Van Helsing. He was our mortal enemy and we would hate him until the day we died.

After a few more moments Van Helsing spoke once more. “But you can’t kill me just yet. There is still something that I must do. But… once it’s all over, I’d gladly give myself to you to be killed. I deserve as much. Delacroix II… Y/n… My death must put an end to your quest for revenge. Don’t turn your hate on anyone else.”

Dracula stirred in my arms once more but I refused to let him go. However, I did let him get on his knees as I kneeled in front of him, my body still protecting his. “What is the meaning of this…? Are you trying to atone for your crime…? Dracula asked, “I will not let it happen! You can’t hold out a helping hand and pretend that you’re good…!” Dracula paused for a moment as he thought about something, “...Just kill me. I could never face mother and father, knowing that I had accepted your sympathy.”

I whipped my head back around to stare at Dracula, “my king no. Don’t say that.”

“...I don’t need to kill you,” Van Helsing said quietly.

The young king ignored both of us, not even meeting my eyes as he said, “kill me…”

“No! You cannot die my liege,” I yelled at him, “the late king and queen wouldn’t have wanted this!”

“You don’t know what they would have wanted Y/n! Stop trying to act like you know what they would have said if they were here!” he screamed.

“Do you think any parent would want their child to die?! Do you think your mother and father would want to see that?!” I retorted, “...I cannot watch you die!”

“Well you’re not my parent!” he said, causing me to fall silent and stare at him in shock. He had never spoken to me like that before. Dracula looked over my shoulder once more at Van Helsing, “kill me! Kill me!” But Van Helsing didn’t say anything, he simply stared at us, not even raising his guns. “Kill me!” Dracula screamed one last time, his voice echoed throughout the room, filled with so much sorrow and anger. 

After that final scream, the young king crumpled, his legs giving out as he sobbed. I simply wrapped my arms around him tighter, bringing his face into my chest as tears of my own began to escape my eyes. His tears soaked my dark red shirt while mine fell into his hair. The room was silent except for his sobs and I allowed him to cry for a few minutes before I spoke.

“My king… please forgive me for speaking out of line but you cannot die,” I told him, “you are the last of the Delacroix, the king of vampires. If I am being honest, I think you are too young to be dealing with such a burden but only you can help our people now.”

“I just want to see my mother and father again… I miss them so much Y/n,” he whispered.

I began to stroke his hair once more, “I know you do… I miss my parents too but we survived for a reason. We have to help our people back onto their feet. Also, I know this is selfish of me but I cannot bear to watch you die. Not you, my pup, not my little king. If you were to die… I would have failed your father and my duty.” I paused for a moment, taking a shuddery breath, “...Dracula if you died I would follow you, wherever you go I would follow. Even into the embrace of death.”

Dracula looked up at me, his amber eyes wide. “Y/n no… you have to live,” he said.

I gave him a shaky smile, “then you have to as well.”

After that, the room was silent once more. I simply continued to hug Dracula, however, I still had my guard up even though it seemed like they weren’t going to kill us.

Suddenly a voice cut through the silence. “Um… Do you think we could possibly… bring them back with us?” the lady said. I looked up at her and the group but remained quiet. Why would she want to bring us back with them?

“Them…? You mean Delacroix and Y/n?” the man with many watches asked.

The red-haired man looked at her in disbelief. “What?! Cardia… Wouldn’t you say that’s impossible? They’ve been saying they want to kill us,” he said, “it never even crossed my mind as an option. I’ve got to say, I’m against it.”

The man in the lab coat piped in right after, “I can’t agree to it either. Their presence puts us all at too much of a risk to be acceptable.”

“Cardia… why would you want to do that? You must have a reason,” the man in the red coat asked.

“I think it must be very lonely for them to stay here all by themselves. Even if they have each other, just the two of them in this large mansion? I think that’s very sad, “ the woman, Cardia, began to slowly explain, “at first I didn’t realize it, because being alone seemed so natural to me… But now that I look back, the years I was alone were a very painful and trying time in my life. I think there are a lot of things they won’t see or understand… not as long as they remain here.” She then turned to look at us and addressed us directly, “that’s why I want you to come with us. I think things will start to look different to the two of you with a change of scenery… Does that sound… crazy?”

“Cardia…” the red-haired man whispered. Van Helsing also stared at her but he didn’t say a word.

“...Yes. That certainly does sound… outlandish,” Dracula said as he began to stand up. I slowly let go of him and started to get up as well. However, I did continue to hold his hand even when the two of us looked at the others. “Why are you so desperate to ‘help’ us? You don’t even know us, so why should you say things like this, as if you cared?”

Even under our harsh stares, Cardia did not back down, firmly meeting our gaze. “My life has not been as difficult as yours… but I know a little about loneliness…” she said, “that’s why… I want to try and do something about that. Even though it’s a dangerous situation, I also know the pain of losing parents.”

Dracula remained silent, thinking about Cardia’s words. In that time, I also began to ponder on them. It seemed as though she has also had a tough life. However, a human could never relate to our pain. She doesn’t understand what it’s like to see one’s entire race get slaughtered. Her people had never been the victims of genocide. No matter how compassionate she was, she simply couldn’t relate to something like that.

After a while, Dracula spoke up, “so you presume to know how we feel, and now you’re trying to save us? Hahaha… your opinions are worthless.”

“...I’m sorry,” Cardia muttered, looking down at the ground.

Dracula took a deep breath. “This place… is the mausoleum of our people--our family. A tomb needs a keeper,” he said, “...we cannot leave this place behind.”

As I nodded my head in agreement, Van Helsing spoke up. “Isn’t revenge your only desire? Then for the sake of those who rest here, you two must keep an eye on me,” he stated, “so that when all this is said and done, I won’t just change my mind and take off. Kill me someday… then you can return here, with that act as your memorial to them.”

“...Can I trust you, Van Helsing?” Dracula asked which caught me by surprise. I didn’t think Dracula would ever ask that question after all that has happened.

“...Yes. I don’t believe that something as small as this will atone for my crime,” Van Helsing replied, “But… right now, that’s as much as I can offer you two.”

After that, he fell silent. It seemed as though he was telling the truth. If he had wanted to kill us he had many opportunities to do so. Also during most of the fight he had seemed sad, almost remorseful, and although that doesn’t help me forgive him it does make it seem like he wanted to pay for his crimes.

Dracula turned to look at me. “Y/n… what do you think?” he asked me quietly, although the others could still probably hear him.

I gave him a serious look. “My king… this decision is entirely up to you. However, know that I will follow you, no matter what choice you make,” I told him. I squeezed his hand tightly as my other hand rubbed his cheek in endearment.

The room fell silent once again, no one uttering a word. Dracula thought about it for a few more moments before he turned to face the others. “...Fine,” he said, “we’ll come with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Y/n and Delacroix have now joined the group. I wonder what will happen next? I also hope that this chapter sheds a bit more light on the relationship between the two of them. It was really fun writing their interactions. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you continue to support my story!


	4. A Tiring Morning

_ I was running through the halls of the vampire mansion, Dracula tugging me along leading the way. I laughed as he did so, seeing how excited he was filled my heart with joy. _

_ “You sure are excited pup. We don’t have to run you know,” I told him between my giggles. _

_ Dracula shot me a quick smile but continued to run and pull me along. “But Y/n! Dad is calling for us and so it has to be something important,” he said. _

_ “Okay okay, you’re right,” I said, “his highness wouldn’t call us if he didn’t have something to discuss.” _

_ The two of us continued to make our way through the corridors until we reached the main hall. As we entered I could see two figures standing at the base of the large staircase in the room. One of them was my king, Delacroix, leader of the Nosferatu. He seemed to be talking to another man, although I didn’t recognize this one. The other man had dirty blond hair and indigo eyes which were slightly obscured by glasses. He seemed to only be a few years older than me and he was dressed in a dress shirt, vest, and a long coat. _

_ “Father!” Dracula exclaimed, letting go of my hand as he ran down the stairs over to the king. The young prince tackled him in a hug causing Delaxcroix to chuckle. The man hugged him back with a fond look causing me to smile. _

_ I made my way down the stairs and once I reached the bottom Delacroix looked at me. “My king. You asked for our presence?” I asked as I bowed.  _

_ “Dracula, Y/n. I did ask for you to come see me,” he said. He cleared his throat and let go of his son and Dracula also released him, although he remained by his father’s side. “I wanted you to meet someone,” Delacroix told us as he gestured to the other man who had remained silent during this exchange, “this is Abraham Van Helsing. He is a human who will be staying with us as a guest, and I expect you to treat him with the utmost respect.” He then addressed Van Helsing, “Van Helsing, this is my son Dracula and his guardian as well as advisor, Y/n. You’ll be seeing them around during your stay in this mansion.” _

_ “Nice to meet you, Van Helsing!” Dracula said, smiling at the man. _

_ “It is nice to meet you as well Dracula,” Van Helsing replied. _

_ I walked up to the man until I was standing in front of him and I bowed. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Van Helsing,” I said, before lifting my head to look into his eyes. _

_ He stared back into my own, his indigo orbs examining me. “Likewise Miss Y/n,” he said as he reached out.  _

_ I glanced at his hand for a moment before firmly taking it into my own and giving it a shake. _

_ That was the first time I met the man named Abraham Van Helsing. _

(...)

My eyes slowly opened as the sun fell on my face. I groaned at the brightness but sat up with a yawn. I rubbed my eyes for a second as I tried to get my bearings. When I looked around I was a bit startled, as this wasn’t my room in the vampire mansion but relaxed once I remembered where I was.

After the whole event from yesterday, Dracula and I had gone back with the others to where they were staying. Apparently, this mansion belonged to the man who wore many watches, who we learned was named Saint-Germain. It was a rather large mansion, with several rooms and hallways that could be easy to get lost in if you weren’t familiar with the layout. They had given Dracula and I separate rooms, although I had told them it would have been fine if we shared they insisted, and had even given us rooms next to each other. It was strange to me that they were being so hospitable even if we were invited in the first place. Humans were all selfish creatures and I expected to get a rather small living space when we arrived but instead it was the exact opposite. 

As I thought about this I got up from my bed, stretching a little before heading to the bathroom connected to my room to get ready for the day. Once I came back out, I slipped out of the pajamas that I brought from the vampire mansion and grabbed my day clothes from my bag. I put on my red dress shirt and buttoned it before putting my dark purple vest over it and buttoning that as well. After slipping on my black trousers I laced up my boots and stood up, giving a nod of satisfaction. As a final touch, I tied a dark grey ribbon into a bow loosely around my neck, tucking it under my shirt collar. After straightening my outfit for a final time and fixing my hair I stepped out of my room, grabbing my dark violet long coat and pulling it on. 

As I closed my door behind me I looked up and down the hallway, checking to see if anyone was there. Seeing no one I went and knocked on Dracula’s door. “Pup? It’s Y/n can I come in?” I asked.

I heard some slight shuffling from inside before I heard a “come in”. I stepped into the room, shutting the door behind me as I did. Dracula was sitting on the bed although he was already dressed and ready for the day. He seemed to be deep in thought, not even looking at me as I entered. I walked over and settled on the edge of the mattress. 

“I’m surprised you’re already up and dressed. Usually, I have to drag you out of bed,” I said, trying to make him smile. But Dracula just continued to look at the blanket we were sitting on. I stared at him in silence for a while, seeing if he would address me but he didn’t. After a few more seconds I asked, “pup are you okay…? Is something bothering you?”

“Y/n… do you think I made the right choice…?” he asked.

“Can you be a little more specific?” I said as I raised an eyebrow.

“I meant... Did I make the right decision choosing to come here,” he said with a sigh, “we’re in a foreign place where we can easily be caught off guard surrounded by the very race we despise and who are also wary of us. I’m just worried I put the both of us in danger…”

I shifted closer to the young boy until I was right next to him. I reached out and put my arm around his shoulder, tugging him so his body leaned against my side. He didn’t protest and instead rested his head on my shoulder. With the same hand, I began to stroke the ends of his hair absentmindedly as I thought about how I should answer his question. 

“...If I am being quite honest there is a risk to our safety with us being here. We don’t know the city very well and even the layout of this mansion is unknown to us at the moment. We’re in a house with our worst enemy who could easily overpower us both even without the help of his companions. So that isn’t ideal,” I told him, “however at the same time I don’t think you were necessarily wrong for making this decision. If Van Helsing and the others wanted us killed we would already be dead by now. They had many opportunities to kill us during the night and yesterday at the mansion. Plus if we had stayed at the mansion there was a possibility that we would never see Van Helsing again. He would have escaped from our clutches and we would have failed in getting revenge for our fallen family.” I paused for a second before continuing, “so to answer your question... I think your judgment was rather sound and if I truly thought we would be in danger coming here I would have immediately protested yesterday when you asked me what I thought.”

Dracula didn’t say anything as he took in my words. I just let him think as I continued to stroke his hair. The silence this time wasn’t tense, instead, it was almost peaceful as the two of us relaxed for a moment, appreciating each other’s company.

The silence was broken when we heard a knock on the door causing us to jump a little. Both of us looked towards it as we heard a voice.

“Delacroix? I was just wondering if you were going to join us for breakfast since it’s time to eat. I’m also going to go ask Y/n if she wanted to join as well,” Cardia said. I looked down at Dracula and he shook his head, signaling he didn’t want to eat or talk to them. The two of us still didn’t say anything, hoping she would go away, but after a moment she said, “Delacroix? Are you in there?”

I sighed and got up from my spot, walking towards the door. I opened it slightly, only enough so that I could see Cardia and she could see me, but not enough that she could see Dracula further inside. Cardia looked surprised to see me as she was probably expecting I was still in my bedroom. 

“Oh Y/n! Will you and Delacroix be joining us for breakfast?” she asked.

I shook my head, “my liege would prefer to stay in his room for the time being. He doesn’t want to interact with the others at the moment.”

“Are you sure? It’s really nice being able to eat all together and I assure you the food is delicious,” she said, giving me a slightly worried look.

“We’re sure. You don’t have to concern yourself with us,” I replied with finality.

“Okay… I’m still going to bring you some food after the rest of us finish eating though,” she told me, flashing me a smile as she walked away.

My eyes widened. “Wait you don’t have to do that,” I called after her but she either didn’t hear me or ignored my protest causing me to sigh. I turned back around to face Dracula. “It seems as though she is keen on bringing us food no matter what we say,” I said.

“It seems like that is the case,” he replied. He looked up at me and asked, “are you just going to stay here until she comes back, or do you want to do something?”

I thought about it for a moment before saying, “I think I’m going to walk around the mansion for the bit to try and figure out the layout. It will be good to know how to get around in case the need for it arises.”

He nodded. “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked.

“No, it’s alright. I think you still have some things to think about and it might be easier if you had some time alone,” I said with a smile, “unless you would prefer to come with me?”

“No, I believe you’re right. I think we both require some alone time to sort out our thoughts,” he replied, giving me a weak smile of his own, clearly showing he was still a little troubled.

“Okay, then I’ll be going now,” I said as I opened the door once more, “I’ll be back soon.” I exited the room, shutting the door behind me as I stepped out. I took a deep breath as I looked up and down the hall, both checking to see if anyone was there and to decide which way to go. Seeing no one, I decided to take a right and began to walk down the corridors. The mansion was huge and even if the count had shown us the main rooms and how to get there yesterday, it would still take me a little while to get through all of it. This left me a good amount of time to sort through my thoughts.

As I began making my mental map, my thoughts couldn’t help but drift to the dream I had last night. I shook my head trying to bat it away to no avail. It’s not as if it was a bad dream, it’s just not a particular memory I liked to look back on. I never liked to look back on any of my memories that involved Van Helsing, but meeting him again had opened Pandora’s box. My happiest memories of Van Helsing only added to the pain I felt when remembering his betrayal, so I simply chose to not remember them at all.

I frowned as I continued to think about it. I hadn’t even really discussed it with Dracula. After the massacre two years ago, the both of us had silently agreed to never talk about Van Helsing ever again. However, this also meant that Dracula didn’t know my whole relationship with Van Helsing. He didn’t know how much I once trusted the man and I wasn’t planning on ever letting him know. 

I sighed as I rubbed my temples, continuing my walk even as thoughts continued to flood my mind. Maybe if I had been more suspicious of Van Helsing I could have been more prepared for the massacre. Maybe if I hadn’t been so naive, I could have saved more people other than myself and Dracula. I should have trained more so that I could protect more people. But no, I was weak and I hadn’t been able to save anyone. I could only watch as my people, as my family, were murdered in front of me. On my worst days, I could still hear their screams and cries. I feared that they would always follow me wherever I go.

Pushing these thoughts to the side I kept walking, making mental notes on the turns and the basic layout of the mansion. As I reached a dead end, I decided to turn around and begin making my way back to Dracula’s room. This part of the mansion was done but I still had the other part to check out. I walked a bit faster when making my way back since I didn’t have to pay as much attention to my surroundings. When I passed by mine and Dracula’s rooms I slowed down a little once more. This time while I made my way through the halls, I didn’t let my thoughts distract me as much, allowing me to progress quicker than before. Jotting down more mental notes, I nodded in satisfaction when I finished this section of the mansion as well. Even if I had missed a couple of parts, I was now familiar with a majority of the layout and that was enough for the day.

I began to make my way back to Dracula, figuring that I was away from him for long enough to have sorted his thoughts out. Meanwhile, mine were more convoluted than ever. As I turned a corner, however, I bumped into a body causing me to stumble back a little before regaining my footing. 

“Oh sorry Y/n I didn’t see you there,” the person said. Looking up, I was met with the smiling face of the man in the red coat, whose name was Lupin if I recalled correctly. “I didn’t expect you to be out of your room considering Cardia said you and Delacroix didn’t want to come down for breakfast.”

I nodded and quickly walked past him, as I didn’t feel like speaking to any of these humans unless it was a necessity. However, I paused at his next words.

“Are you and Delacroix still planning on trying to steal back the missing vampire belongings?”

I turned around and glared at him. “Why are you asking?” I said, suspicion laced in my tone.

“I’m simply curious. I can see how important it is to you that you get them back,” he said, raising his hands slightly in defense.

“Those belongings are the last physical things that can help us remember our people. They are tokens of our bonds and memories,” I told him, “so yes we are planning on getting them back. Although I believe my king will want to wait until after he kills Van Helsing.”

Lupin flinched slightly at the last comment but he nodded his head. “That’s all I needed to know. Thank you Y/n,” he said. He flashed me one more smile before continuing to walk down the hall.

I shot him another suspicious look but made my way back to Dracula without another interruption. Once I reached the door I knocked twice before entering. As I entered, I looked at Dracula who was still sitting on the bed. However, now he was holding two plates of food.

“Cardia left these plates outside the door a few minutes ago,” he told me, seeing my slightly puzzled look. I walked over and took my spot next to him once more as he handed the plate to me. The food looked delicious and my stomach involuntarily growled a little. Dracula gave me a little grin at the sound causing me to glare at him jokingly.

“Let me eat it first to make sure it’s okay,” I told him. While I didn’t think it was poisoned you could never be too sure. That is what my father taught me several years ago when I was preparing to become Dracula’s advisor. The boy hesitated for a second but then nodded. He probably didn’t like the idea of me putting his life over my own, but it was my duty to do so. I took a bite of the food and my eyes widened at the delicate and delectable flavours. Cardia had said the food would be delicious but I didn’t think it would be this good. As I swallowed, I waited a few minutes before nodding at Dracula, signaling he could start eating. He immediately began to dig into the food, eating rather ravenously. I chuckled and reached for a tissue on the nightstand. I then wiped his face free from the crumbs he had gotten on it, causing him to pause in his eating for a second. “Slow down pup. The food isn’t gonna disappear from your hands,” I told him with a gentle smile.

“Sorry Y/n, it’s just really good,” he said sheepishly, before continuing to shovel food into his face.

“It is quite tasty, isn’t it. I’m pleasantly surprised,” I said. We then continued to eat in silence, both of us cleaning our plates completely. Dracula let out a breath of satisfaction as I took his plate away from him and put it on top of my own. I stared at them for a moment, debating on whether I should bring them to the kitchen myself or if I should just leave them outside the door. If I left them outside someone would probably take them back but that also felt rather rude. I hate these people, yes, but I didn’t exactly want to take advantage of them. Plus Cardia had already been courteous and brought us the food in the first place.

I sighed. It seems as though those manners my father had instilled in me were still present even after a couple of years. I got up from the bed and Dracula looked at me, raising an eyebrow. “I’m just going to take these dishes to the kitchen. I won’t be long I promise,” I said. 

“You could just leave them outside the door…” he said.

I shook my head. “Even if we hate these people they have already been rather courteous towards us. Cardia didn’t have to bring us food but she did. It’s only polite that I at least bring these down,” I told him, already making my way to the exit.

I heard him scoff from behind me and I turned around to glare at him slightly. “You always feel the need to be polite even when those people don’t deserve it,” he muttered.

“Yes well... As your advisor, it is my job to at least be respectful. Although I agree with the humans not deserving it point,” I replied, “I’ll be right back.” Stepping through the door, I closed it behind me. I began making my way to the kitchen, easily making the trip as Saint-Germain had shown it to me and Dracula the night before when we had first arrived. It wasn’t very far from our rooms and I arrived at the entrance to the kitchen in a matter of minutes. I carefully balanced the stacked dishes in one hand while using the other one to push open the door, stepping through as I did. As the door swung close behind me, I looked up and had to physically stop myself from leaving the room prematurely.

The red-haired man, Impey, was standing at the sink washing the dishes. He looked up at me in surprise before flashing me a smile. “Y/n! It’s nice to see you during this fine morning!” he exclaimed happily, raising a soap covered hand in a wave. 

I wrinkled my nose in disgust a little as he accidentally splattered soap suds and water onto the counter in his excitement. I just nodded and walked over before stopping for a second to think. Initially, I was just planning on putting the dishes in the sink, but now I could see Impey was blocking my way as he was standing in front of it. I frowned. It would be weird if I just put it on the counter with him standing right there which meant I had to interact with him even though I didn’t want to. I approached the man and held out the plates silently. 

Impey stared at them for a second before taking them from my hands with a smile. “Thanks!” he said as he placed them in the sink with the other dishes. I nodded and turned around about to leave, however, his voice stopped me. “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to stay here and hang out with me for a little while? It’d be nice to get to know you more and who knows? Maybe after stunning you with my great conversation skills you’ll fall for little ol’ me!” He suggested with a wide grin, flashing his rather sharp canines. 

I shook my head. “I have to get back to my liege. I do not have time for idle conversation,” I replied professionally, my face neutral.

He pouted a little. “Aw c’mon. Do you really have to get back so quickly?” he said, “I’m sure Delacroix can survive without you for a little while.”

“Even if he is not in immediate danger it is my duty as his shield and advisor to be with him at all times in case he needs me. It is not proper to leave my station unattended,” I said matter-of-factly and turned back towards the door, “now if you’ll excuse me. Have a nice day.” I quickly left the room and let out a sigh of relief as soon as I was out of his sight. That was a horrendous interaction. I quickly began to make my way back to Dracula’s room. I had enough of being forced to talk to these people for one day. 

Rubbing my temples for the second time this morning, I walked into Dracula’s room. Once I shut the door I sighed and flopped onto his bed in front of him. 

Dracula looked at me in confusion and concern. “Something wrong?” he asked as he put his hand on my shoulder.

“I had a brief interaction with that redhead when I went into the kitchen,” I told him, “to put it simply, he’s an idiot.”

Dracula hummed in understanding and began to trace comforting circles on my shoulder with his thumb. I looked up at him, my cheek squishing into the mattress and allowed myself to relax for a second. Dracula was the only person I could be less stiff around. With others, I always felt the need to be proper and professional. But Dracula has always expressed the fact that he feels more comfortable if I was a little more myself around him, so I happily obliged.

Grunting, I sat up and settled beside him once again, causing him to take his hand off my shoulder. “So how are your thoughts treating you?” I asked him as I poked his forehead with my finger.

Dracula huffed and batted my hand away with his own. “Better than earlier,” he said before pausing for a moment, “...I’m going to stand by my convictions from now on. I’m going to trust my instincts and make the choices I think are the best and after I choose something I won’t look back.” 

As he looked up at me with determination, I reached out and ruffled his hair. I smiled at him gently before saying, “alright. And remember I’ll be there with you every step of the way. If you get too close to the edge I’ll be there to pull you back.”

He gave me a smile of his own and hugged me around my waist. I hugged him back as we continued to sit there. Simply basking in the comfort that each other’s presence brought in this new and foreign environment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this one! Next week's chapter will be quite a bit longer than the others, so be prepared for that. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you continue to look forward to new parts!


	5. A Dangerous Confrontation

Knocking on the door of Dracula’s room, I waited until he said I could go in to enter. It had been a week since Dracula and I arrived at this mansion and we had settled into a routine. I would go to his room right after I got ready for the day and we would talk as we waited for Cardia to bring us our breakfast. After eating, I would then take the plates down to the kitchen. I also adjusted the time I went so that I no longer ran into Impey. After that, we would stay in his room for the rest of the day. We were slowly starting to settle in, but things were still tense between us and the other residents, as both Dracula and I made no effort to interact with any of them. Even if they were nicer than most humans we had met so far that didn’t mean we trusted or liked them yet.

A faint “come in” from the other side of the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me, expecting Dracula to be sitting on the bed as usual. Instead, he stood by the window looking outside, not even bothering to glance my way as I walked up behind him.

“Something wrong pup?” I ask, putting my hand on his shoulder.

“...I was just thinking I want to go outside today, it’s been a while since we got any fresh air,” he said as he looked up at me.

I hummed and thought about where we could go that was quiet but still near the mansion, as we still weren’t familiar with the city of London. After a few seconds, I snapped my fingers and said, “why don’t we visit the mansion’s garden then? I saw it through the windows in the halls and it looked lovely with all its plants and flowers.”

Dracula’s eyes lit up. “That sounds great Y/n! Let’s go now,” he said.

I chuckled, “alright but I’m leading the way.” I took his hand in my own and led the way out of the room and to the garden. The two of us walked through the hallways in silence and after a few minutes, we arrived at our destination. I took a deep breath of the fresh air as Dracula let go of my hands and walked to the center of the area. He turned around in a circle, looking at his surroundings while I walked over to one of the flower beds.

“This garden is really nice,” he commented.

“Indeed the flowers are quite lovely,” I replied. I reached out and rubbed a petal of one of the flowers. It was soft and supple underneath my fingertips and I couldn’t help but smile as I took in the perfume. The two of us remained in silence for a couple of minutes, Dracula looking at the sky and me admiring the flowers when we suddenly heard a bark and pattering footsteps. We looked in the direction of the noise to see a dog wearing a little top hat running up to us. He barreled into Dracula, knocking the boy onto his rear. 

“Woah!” Dracula said before the dog began to lick Dracula’s face, causing him to giggle. “Hey… hey, stop it!” he said half-heartedly between his laughs, “hahaha, I said stop! It tickles, it tickles! Hahaha! Don’t lick my face so much! Haha, y-you… Ha hahah!” 

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched from my spot by the flower beds. I had gotten up from my crouching position but didn’t move to interfere as it seemed like the dog meant no harm. Besides, I hadn’t seen Dracula so relaxed in days, as both of us were still apprehensive and constantly on edge even when we were in our rooms. He deserved a moment of laughter and relaxation. 

The dog finally stopped licking the boy, allowing him to get onto his feet. He looked down at the dog as he dusted himself off. “Fine, very well. You may serve under me. Isn’t it an honour?” Dracula said to him, “oh, you have potential, obeying me without resistance like this. I shall give you the second highest seat in my army of darkness!”

“‘Army of Darkness’...?”

A voice piped up from behind us causing me to whirl around and for Dracula to jump back, as both of us took fighting stances. My eyes landed on Cardia and I relaxed a little, seeing it was just her, but I didn’t completely get out of my stance. She didn’t seem too surprised about how we reacted.

“Wh-what do you want?” Dracula asked hesitantly.

Cardia simply smiled at the two of us. “I see you and Sisi have become friends,” she said to Dracula.

“Hmph! It’s none of your business,” Dracula said, “but… This fellow’s name is Sisi?” 

“Yes, Impey named him,” Cardia replied.

“Impey…? Ah, the red-headed man who appears to have the lowest intellect of the bunch. A shame to think  _ that _ named you…” Dracula said, glancing at the dog before looking back at Cardia, “By the way, why does Sisi have a mechanical leg?”

Cardia looked down at the floor sadly as she said, “It’s… because someone hurt him before Impey found him. Impey built him that leg so he could walk normally.”

I felt a pang of sadness in my heart for Sisi. He was such an innocent creature, he didn’t deserve to go through the pain of losing a leg. However, I was also slightly impressed when I heard that Impey was the one who built the leg. Sisi seemed to be able to walk on it perfectly and I could tell it was a fine piece of craftsmanship.

Delly looked sadly down at Sisi, “They would go so low as to harm a life that poses no threat to them… Humans are indeed a garbage race.” Internally, I couldn’t help but agree with that statement. Sisi was so friendly, I doubt he had provoked the person who hurt him.

“But, humans have given Sisi a new home, and are taking care of him now,” Cardia said, “I think that there are many different kinds of people. Not all of them are bad.”

Dracula paused for a second as her words sunk in before he asked, “And…? What have you come here for?”

“I didn’t want you two to get hungry, so I brought breakfast to your room. But you weren’t in, so…” she said hesitantly.

“Breakfast… I see. All right.” Dracula said awkwardly.

“Yes.”

Suddenly another voice cut in, “Oh! There you are. I’ve been looking for you.” The three of us looked over and saw Lupin entering the garden. He looked at Dracula with a pleasant smile, “I have a souvenir for you.”

“A souvenir…? You aren’t holding anything,” Dracula said with a skeptical look and I also raised an eyebrow. It was true, Lupin’s arms were empty.

“Oh, excuse me,” he said. He took a large square of cloth from his pocket and laid it on the ground. He slowly pinched it, then lifted it up which revealed a small suitcase sitting where the cloth had been. 

My eyes widened in surprise as Dracula sputtered, “Wha-?! You’re some kind of wizard…!”

Lupin grinned, “Unfortunately, I’m just a gentleman thief. This was a trick.” Dracula and I stared at him as he opened the suitcase. “Pay attention to what’s inside. You’ll be surprised,” he said.

“What is this about…” Dracula muttered before he turned his attention to the suitcase. I too looked inside and stared in shock at the contents. “Th-those are… the treasures of the vampires that I was supposed to take back!” Dracula exclaimed. “You had them all this time?! Give them back?! They belong to my people!”

“Yes, yes I know. I stole all these, for you,” Lupin calmly said.

“St-stole…?” Dracula stuttered in surprise.

Lupin simply shrugged and pushed the suitcase towards Dracula. The young boy accepted it and looked back at Lupin in shock.

“I never steal for myself. I do it for others. I just found where your treasures were kept and picked them up,” Lupin stated, his mouth stretched into a grin. “I looked into it, and the people who owned these items were all making dirty money. It felt good to steal from them.”

“Wh-what is the meaning of this? I have no way to repay you for these,” Dracula told him. However, he pushed the suitcase behind him, protecting the treasures of our people.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to take them back. I’ve already been paid handsomely by the folks I stole these from,” Lupin replied.

“Oh… the ‘handling fee’ you mentioned,” Cardia added.

Lupin grinned mischievously, “Exactly.” He then turned to me as his face became serious once more. “I do have a specific item I would like to return to you though Y/n.”

I looked at him in surprise, “Me?”

Nodding, he walked towards me. Lupin rummaged in his pocket for a second before pulling something out and holding it out. I hesitantly took it before I examined it, turning the item around in my hand. My eyes widened as I recognized it almost immediately.

“This is… my father’s pocket watch,” I muttered. I looked up at Lupin again, “but… how did you know this belonged to him…?”

Lupin smiled at me sadly. “There’s a picture of you, him, and a woman who I assume to be your mother inside. The picture looks pretty recent, as you didn’t look too different so I instantly recognized you. I just assumed it was your father who was in the picture with you,” he explained. “Even if he wasn’t I could definitely tell he was someone close to you, so I figured you would want it back.”

I looked back at the pocket watch at a loss for words. “I… I don’t know what to say…” I muttered. Tears welled up into my eyes but I quickly brushed them away as I held the watch close to my heart. I felt Dracula come up beside me and put his hand on my arm to try and provide me some comfort. I sniffled for a second before I managed to compose myself. “I’m okay,” I told Dracula.

Lupin looked at me sadly once more before he grinned at Dracula. “How do you like it, Sir Delacroix? This is how a real thief gets things done.” He spun once then gave Dracula a graceful bow.

“...I’m not going to thank you,” Dracula muttered with a pout on his face.

“I should be the one thanking  _ you _ ,” Lupin said, “going after these artifacts allowed me to earn a huge amount of money in a way I view as ethical.”

“I see. So it’s Delly and Y/n who’s to thank for getting you to take action,” Cardia chimed in. The nickname she used caught both mine and Dracula’s attention.

“Hold on…” Dracula said. “You can’t possibly be calling me ‘Delly’ can you? I will not be referred to by such a ridiculous name.”

“‘Delacroix the Second’ is a mouthful,” Lupin explained. “It’s not making fun of you; it’s a step towards a true friendship. What do you say?”

“You don’t like it?” Cardia asked.

“O-of course not!” Dracula stuttered indignantly.

I grinned a little. “I don’t know… Delly is a cute little name wouldn’t you say my liege?” I couldn’t help but tease.

“Y-Y/n!” he exclaimed in protest. But before he could say anything else his stomach rumbled. A slight blush rose on Dracula’s face as I bit back a snicker.

“Oh, I left some breakfast by the door to your room if you want it,” Cardia told us.

“I-I don’t need breakfast!” he exclaimed. Dracula began to run to the mansion before turning back for a second. “I will not thank you! I’m not indebted to you at all!” he cried before he ran off.

I smiled and began to follow him, pausing for a moment to look at Lupin and Cardia once more. I hesitated for a moment before bowing a little as I said, “I still can’t exactly trust you… but thank you. From both me and my king. We truly do appreciate it.” Turning around, I quickly went back inside the mansion.

I sighed as I walked through the halls, making my way back to Dracula’s room as he would most likely be there. Looking at the pocket watch in my hand, I brushed my thumb along the engravings and embossments.

I couldn’t tell if all humans were bad anymore. Yes, some of them directly killed us vampires. They were the cause of our people's demise as well as mine and Dracula’s suffering. But some of them were innocent too. Some of them were kind like Cardia and Lupin and I just couldn’t make sense of it anymore. Humans took away the vampire treasures but another human gave them back to us.

As I made my way to Dracula, these thoughts waged war in my head, until I no longer knew what to think.

(...)

Hours later, after the sun had already set, I was making my way to the kitchen to get a drink. My thoughts were still all jumbled up and I was making no progress sorting them out, so I decided a small walk might clear my head. 

As I walked through the halls I could hear some commotion coming from the lounge. Approaching the room I realized that the others were discussing something amongst themselves. And based on their tones, it was something important. I approached the doorway but didn’t step into the room as I listened in on their conversation discreetly. 

“And so after running into Sholmes, he told us that the military police are still hunting down Victor. They are prepared to do anything to catch him, even kill him on the spot if it becomes necessary,” I heard Saint-Germain say.

The room became silent for a moment as my breath caught in my throat. This really was an important conversation. I felt slightly guilty listening in on this but I also had a gut feeling I shouldn’t leave.

“What should we do? Would it be best if we just shut ourselves in the mansion?” Cardia asked.

Van Helsing spoke up, “if we do that, they’ll eventually detect our location and surround us.”

“True… This location will be easily found if both the military and the Yard are looking for us, on top of Twilight,” Saint-Germain commented.

“Then… should we escape London and set up a hideout somewhere else?” Impey suggested.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Lupin said, “but it’s going to interfere with our search for information on Issac. There’s nowhere else as good.”

Impey sighed, “Whaaat, then there’s nothing we can do?”

“...No. There is one way,” Victor said.

There was a slight pause, as I assumed everyone was a bit caught off guard by Victor’s sudden statement.

“Listen carefully, Cardia,” he said. “I think Twilight, and Finis, are searching for you independently of the others. I don’t think the British government is involved in the search for you either.”

“Good point. If the government was looking for her, then they probably would have expanded their forces in the first place,” Saint-Germain said

“Wait a second there,” Impey protested, “Wasn’t it the Queen’s guards who were trying to kidnap her in the first place?”

Victor spoke up once more, “I believe that Finis used his position to use them for his own purposes. Think about it. Even though they failed to capture her, the government hasn’t launched any sort of investigation.”

“Oh…” Impey muttered in realization.

“That means that the only one who the government is after… is me,” Victor said. Even without seeing him, I could tell there was a lot of force behind those words.

“Victor… are you considering turning yourself in?” Saint-Germain asked, his tone a bit harder than it was previously.

There was another moment of silence before Cardia said, “that would be saving ourselves at your expense. I don’t like that...”

“Hmm…” Impey hummed. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep with that on my conscience. I’m against it too!”

I looked down at the floor. While I didn’t particularly care what happened to Victor I could tell the others did care for him greatly. Even if it was the simplest solution there was no way anyone would go along with it.

“No, that’s not it. I can’t let myself be captured just yet. There’s still something I need to do,” Victor said.

“And what is that…?” Lupin questioned.

“Ah… it’s not really relevant right now,” Victor said, deflecting the question. “The point is I feel that I have a way to negotiate with the government to get them to stop chasing us.”

I perked up at that. Despite not knowing much about this government I knew that they were a big deal, similar to how to us vampires our king was our leader. For Victor to say that he could negotiate with them seemed a bit far-fetched.

“Negotiate with the government? That’s a pretty outlandish idea,” Van Helsing echoed my thoughts, much to my displeasure. “So if I decide to move forward with your negotiation idea, who would we speak to? Reckless words won’t get you any help.”

“It’s fine. I’m not saying this out of desperation… I know we have a good chance,” Victor replied. I heard him sigh before he continued, “...I’m going to get Victoria on our side.”

“‘Victoria’... You don’t mean…  _ Queen _ Victoria?!” Impey exclaimed in shock causing my own eyes to widen. A queen? Victor truly believed he could convince a queen?

“Yes, that’s exactly who I mean,” Victor said. “As I mentioned before, Queen Victoria wants to capture me. She wants certain knowledge that I have. But… Her greatest fear is that this knowledge will be leaked to other countries. If what I know gets out, the current international situation could be overturned and place Britain in a difficult situation.”

“Uhh… International situation, huh?” Impey muttered.

“That’s quite a large stage you speak of,” Saint-German commented.

“So…” Van Helsing started. “You’re thinking of approaching Queen Victoria, using this knowledge as a bargaining chip?”

“Yes. In exchange for not spreading my secrets to other countries, I will ask her to guarantee our safety and freedom,” Victor elaborated. “I’ll expose to her that Twilight is after us as well, and have her restrict Finis’s actions so that we’re not targeted. That way, we can resolve all the problems surrounding us at once.”

“Hm… And what is this knowledge?” Saint-Germain asked and I must admit I was curious as well. The idea seemed straightforward enough but just what kind of knowledge did Victor have that he could threaten a queen.

Victor paused for a moment, “...I can’t… tell you.”

There was a second of silence but Van Helsing broke it. “Hmph, no matter. If you’re that confident then you probably stand a good chance of success,” he said. “If you get results, I have no complaints about the methods involved.”

It surprised me that they didn’t further question him about the information. It seemed like an important part of this entire plan. If it were me I would have pushed some more. It truly felt like they trusted each other. Even Van Helsing, which shocked me the most, although he still acted cold.

“But Victor, this isn’t something that can be done easily, right…?” Cardia spoke up. “There must be a reason why you’ve been running all this time without doing this.”

“...You’re very perceptive. You’re right Cardia,” Victor said. “It was something I’d been considering. But Queen Victoria is the highest-ranking politician. If she doesn’t agree… I’ll probably be locked up in some research lab, never to see the light of day again… That’s why I escaped.”

“Are you sure…? You’re going to have the most dangerous role if you’re trying to use yourself as a negotiation piece,” Lupin pointed out.

“That’s fine. I don’t want to cause trouble for all of you,” Victor replied, “Victor and Finis… We’re up against the most powerful people in the country. If we miss this opportunity, we’ll be swallowed up by their power in the blink of an eye. The more time passes, the tighter the noose Twilight, the military, and the police are creating will be. Before they catch us, we have to make the first move.” He paused for a moment. “That naturally puts all of you in a dangerous position as well. I know it’s a lot to ask… but I need your help.”

Things went silent for a second before Lupin spoke up, “Why not? I’m in. We need a breakthrough either way, and if you say you’re ready to take this on, I have no objections.”

“Then I’m in too. It would be totally lame if we got caught and didn’t even put up a fight before being thrown in prison,” Impey agreed.

“You don’t even need to ask me. Life as a refugee was getting pretty cramped. I was becoming bored with it,” Van Helsing said. “If we have the means to free ourselves of this situation, we should go for it, no matter what.”

“Then I shall cooperate as well, though I don’t think there is much I can do,” Saint-Germain said.

“I’m fine, if that’s what Victor wants,” Cardia also agreed.

“...Thank you, everyone. I promise I will repay you all for this kindness,” Victor told them.

I continued to stand outside, quickly weighing the pros and cons of the choice in front of me. There was no correct decision here… but there was one that would help me Dracula more. After coming to a conclusion I stepped into the room, “Count me in too.”

All six of them turned to look at me in shock, their eyes wide. They probably didn’t notice my presence until just then. “Y/n what…” Van Helsing said, looking at me in confusion.

I ignored Van Helsing, refusing to look into his sharp eyes, and only focused on Victor. “I said I’m coming along,” I repeated. “Was that statement not clear enough?”

“I-it’s not that you weren’t clear… it’s just why are you suddenly willing to help us?” Victor asked hesitantly. “You and Delly have made it clear that you don’t really want to associate with us.”

I looked away to gather my thoughts before I began to explain, “If I am being blatantly honest, I’m not really doing this to help you. Simply put, if you get caught then there is a possibility my king and I could also get caught. Considering what we are, they might not even put us in jail and would instead just kill us.” From the corner of my eye, I saw everyone exchange a look, but no one denied my words. “This plan seems a bit far-fetched and it seems like you need all the help you can get. If I can improve your chances, if I can help protect my liege, then I will offer you my services. That’s all there is to it.”

Surprisingly, out of everyone Van Helsing was the one who spoke up first. “This isn’t your run-of-the-mill diplomatic mission. You’re an advisor and we can’t have you getting in the way. It’s too dangerous for you.”

The air grew tense as everyone looked back and forth between the two of us. I finally shifted my gaze to look at him and my mouth stretched into a scowl. “Just because I am my king’s advisor that does not mean I am not a warrior. You should know that Van Helsing,” I said, my tone harsh. “Us vampires valued strength, if I wasn’t trained in combat I wouldn’t even be worthy to stand by my king. I thought about this thoroughly, I won’t get in your way.”

Van Helsing continued to stare at me as the other five looked at each other, trying to come to a decision. Eventually, Saint-Germain decided to interject. “If she wishes I don’t see the harm of allowing her to come along,” he said. “She is correct in the fact that the more people we have to help, the better our chances of succeeding are.”

“It would be helpful to have a more combat-oriented person on the team,” Lupin muttered thoughtfully.

“We also have seen her in action already and she can definitely hold her own,” Impey piped in.

Cardia looked at Victor, “It’s up to you Victor… What do you think?”

Victor remained silent for a second as I turned to look at him. The two of us stared into each other’s eyes and I could feel he was trying to gauge my sincerity and will. After a minute or so he finally said, “If you want to, we would really appreciate your help.”

I nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll do my very best to assist all of you.” As I said this I could feel Van Helsing look at me in disapproval. I wasn’t going to let him convince me out of this. This was the wisest choice, and I wasn’t going to look back when I made a decision. Not again.

(...)

The next morning, I was once again in Dracula’s room, checking up on him. As I was talking to him about what he wanted to do for the day, we both heard a knock at the door. Dracula looked at me a bit confused but I simply went over and opened the door to reveal Cardia on the other side.

“Ah Y/n. We’re planning on going over the plan for confronting the queen during breakfast so I figured I should come to get you,” she said, although she seemed a bit nervous.

I nodded, “Alright just give me one moment.” I turned back to Dracula and told him, “I have to leave for a little bit but I’ll be back after breakfast.”

Dracula frowned and looked at me a bit suspiciously. “What do you need to do? Can’t I come with you?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Don’t worry it’s nothing to trouble yourself over,” I replied. He didn’t seem convinced though as he continued to stare at me. I walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle smile. “Trust me, okay?”

This seemed to finally convince him as he hesitantly nodded. “Okay… I’ll trust you,” he murmured.

I ruffled his hair, “I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry I’ll bring back some food for you as well.” I then walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. I sighed before looking at Cardia again, “okay let’s go.”

Neither of us talked as we made our way to the dining room, the air was a little tense and awkward but I didn’t really pay any mind to it. When we stepped into the dining room I saw that everyone else was already there. They all looked up at us as we entered.

“Good morning Y/n! Glad to see that Cardia was able to get you to come without a fuss,” Impey said cheerfully.

I simply nodded and sat down at the table without saying a word. Cardia also took a seat and we all settled in.

“All right, everyone, there’s no time like the present,” Lupin began, “I scraped together all the information I could to create our plan. So, as to how we will accomplish the goal of getting Victor to negotiate with Queen Victoria-”

“For starters, the biggest problem is probably finding a way to meet her,” Van Helsing interjected.

“Could we send her a letter? It would be safe…” Cardia suggested.

Saint-Germain shook his head with a frown, “that would likely be difficult. If we can’t trust the messenger, it’s doubtful that the letter will reach her.”

“Right. It probably wouldn’t be effective. When you set out to blackmail someone, you need to make it clear you have power,” Lupin explained. “We need a method that’ll make them think that we won’t go down easy. We have to make ourselves look strong, even if it’s fake.”

I raised an eyebrow as he made a good point, but I was still a little doubtful. 

“...Make ourselves look strong? How exactly do we go about doing that? Stop being vague and give us an example,” Van Helsing said.

Lupin grinned. “In short, we’re going to raid Buckingham Palace and confront Her Majesty the Queen in person.”

My eyes widened as Impey said what I was thinking, “A r-raid?! What are you, crazy?! You’re going to turn the entire country against us!”

“Wait, Impey. Knowing Lupin, there’s a chance of success here, isn’t there?” Victor reasoned.

Lupin smiled confidently. as he spread a large blueprint across the table. I leaned in a bit closer to examine it properly. “This is the layout of Buckingham Palace. It’s the center of the administration, and the royal family’s personal residence,” Lupin explained. “Queen Victoria usually stays within the heavily guarded palace, so we’d never be able to reach her directly.”

“In a sense, she’s tougher to get to than Finis…” Van Helsing muttered.

Lupin continued, “However, there will be an opportunity coming up when Victoria makes a public appearance for a knighting ceremony.”

“What… is that, exactly?” Cardia asked.

“It’s something of a governmental event. Bestowing knighthood is normally conducted within the palace,” Saint-Germain replied. “However, it has become customary for the Queen’s ceremony to take place outside, to allow the public to see the glory. Obviously, there will be copious amounts of security. And since the public can attend, there will be a great turnout. Oh and also, it was this event that Van Helsing was given the greatest title a knight can receive, the Most Excellent Order.”

“Wow… you really are amazing, Van Helsing,” Cardia said.

Underneath the table, I clenched my hands into fists. I beg to differ, to me he was just the opposite. He was a monster of the cruelest kind and didn’t deserve to be praised for his actions. I bit my lip hard, not wanting to accidentally say those words out loud. This was a meeting, and I had to be professional even while my emotions raged inside me.

As if he sensed my negative feelings, Van Helsing shot me a look. He didn’t respond to Cardia’s words, only letting out a “hmph”.

“So we burst into the ceremony, then make them promise in front of everyone there that they won’t lay a finger on Victor,” Lupin said.

“Isn’t it dangerous to do something like this in front of so many people,” Cardia pointed out.

“That’s what makes it so great,” Lupin replied. “We’ll make a showy entrance to create the illusion that Victor had powerful backers. The other benefit is that we can use all the civilians there as hostages.”

“L-Lupin! We can’t do that!” Victor protested. “That would make us  _ actual _ terrorists if we involved innocent people!”

Cardia nodded, “Yes… I think it’s too dangerous.”

“All part of the plan. We’re laying it all out for the Queen to make it easier for her to make that decision,” Lupin said, grinning deviously.

I looked at him confused, as Cardia asked, “What do you mean…?”

This time Van Helsing explained, “This… is what he means. If the Queen were to obey the commands of a terrorist, her authority would crumble. But, if she makes a painful decision in order to save her people, her rule will become even more solidified.”

Saint-Germain chuckled. “You’re awfully considerate, even of your blackmail-ee,” he said. “The title of ‘gentleman thief’ shines brighter than usual today.”

“Haha! Of course!” Lupin replied with glee.

“...I’m starting to think I don’t fully understand what a ‘gentleman’ is anymore,” Cardia said and I couldn’t help but nod my head in agreement. These people really could be strange at times…

“That’s good Cardia. That’s a normal reaction,” Impey told her.

“Yet…” Van Helsing started. “She may say she’ll release Victor in that moment, only to take back her words later. Shouldn’t we be considering the possible risks we might be facing? A battle of wills against Queen Victoria is no small thing. I can’t imagine that she would fall for this ploy so easily.”

“Leave that to me,” Victor said. “In true Lupin form… I’ll call her bluff.”

At Victor’s words, Lupin nodded his head firmly. “The knighting ceremony takes place in exactly five days. Why don’t we begin our preparations,” he said.

The rest of us nodded in agreement. Looked like we had a plan, now we just had to make sure nothing went wrong.

(...)

After the meeting, we all began to prepare. Over the following few days, everyone procured items to protect themselves and we secured our escape route. We also used an automobile to carry a machine called an ornithopter, which I was told would help us get to Queen Victoria, into an alley near a certain hotel in the city.

As the others completed their preparations, I went to a little clearing surrounded by trees near the mansion to train a little. I had to quickly make up an excuse when I told Dracula I was going out again but he didn’t really seem to buy it. I felt bad that I was keeping this a secret from him but the less he knew the better. If he knew what I was doing he would refuse to let me go so I planned to tell him right before we left, since the others were going to ask him to house sit anyways. 

As I got to the clearing I took out my two daggers. I tossed them up and down for a moment to get accustomed to them again before I really began my training. I cleared my mind as I allowed myself to go through the motions and stances that I had done so many times before. The blades flashed through the air as I slashed and threw them into a nearby tree trunk, only to quickly retrieve them. I kicked and jumped as I let my instincts take over. It felt good to just let loose after a week and a half of not being able to practice. 

I took a deep breath. We would succeed, there was no other option. Two years ago I was powerless to do anything and I could only run. But now I could actually make a stand. I was going to protect my king and I was going to make sure he stayed out of danger. I was no longer weak. I had to be strong enough for what laid ahead. There were no ifs, ands, or buts.

When my dagger sank into the target, my aim as precise as ever, I paused for a second. I walked over and yanked it out. There was no room for doubt. I simply had to be strong enough.

With that final thought, I continued to train in secret until dusk.

(...)

“You want me to house-sit? How dare you! Why would I?!” Dracula protested.

I sighed. It was the day before the mission, and we had finally sat Dracula down to explain what we were doing and why we needed him to stay behind. I stood in front of him while everyone else was behind me. I had been the one to break the news because everyone thought he would listen to me but clearly he was still not happy.

“My king, please. We need someone to watch the house while we’re gone and I don’t want you to come with us. Not when there is an obvious danger,” I told him.

“Why are you even going with them then Y/n?! They don’t deserve your help and I don’t want you to get hurt!” he said. Dracula looked at me with angry yet also worried eyes and I felt my resolve waver. But only for a moment.

“I’m doing this to protect us. Even if I’m not there, if this plan goes awry then we’ll both be in danger regardless. We’ll be seen as accomplices and the military will also come after us,” I stated. “I simply can’t take that risk. If I can help improve our chances, I’m going no matter what you say.”

“Then let me come with you! Let me help,” Dracula pleaded.

“No. It’s too dangerous. It doesn’t matter what happens to me, my life is expendable, but you are the king of vampires. It is my duty to protect you even if it means throwing away my own life,” I said. He opened his mouth to protest but I took his hands in my own, cutting him off. “Please my king. Don’t worry I’ll be just fine,” I reassured him, smiling gently. “You know how strong I am. I’m not planning on dying yet. Besides… someone needs to watch over Sisi.”

Dracula still didn’t seem convinced. Instead, he looked extremely worried. Suddenly, I heard Van Helsing speak up from behind me. “I’ll make sure she stays safe,” he said. “I won’t let her die, it’s the least I can do after all I’ve done.”

The two of us turned to Van Helsing in surprise. He was looking at us with his usual stoic face but in his eyes, I could see resolute determination. Without a hint of deception. This sent my thoughts into overdrive. Why would he protect me after all this time? It shouldn’t matter to him if I lived or died so why?

As I thought this, Dracula said, “You better not regret making me trust you, Van Helsing.” The man simply nodded and Dracula continued, “W-well… I guess it’s acceptable. But I do  _ not _ understand why I should have to take care of Sisi. Normally, I wouldn’t bother attending to the needs of an animal… but I’ll do it for him.”

I smiled at Dracula, “Thank you, my king. I promise I’ll be back.”

He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a tight hug, “You better keep that promise Y/n…”

(...)

It was finally the day of the mission. All of us were gathered in a room at a hotel, some distance from Buckingham Palace. The tension in the room was high as we could hear fireworks in the distance. Although the room was lavishly furnished with several chairs and even some vases of flowers in the corner, I preferred to stand. I had to remain alert at all times after all.

Victor looked out the window anxiously as he took a nervous breath. “It looks like they’re starting… I need to make this work, for all our sakes,” he said.

“Relax Vicky. We’ve gotten through some bad scrapes in the past. We can handle this,” Impey reassured him from where he was sitting on a chair.

“I’m coming along with you, so you needn’t worry if anything comes up,” Van Helsing added.

“‘Anything’ will not be coming up, ever,” Lupin said. “All right everyone, it’s almost time. Get ready.”

At his words, I briefly touched my daggers which sat in their sheaths hanging off my hips. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and let it out slowly. We could do this.

“I’ll stay here and wait with Impey. I’ll help with the escape on the Ornithopter if something happens…” Cardia said. “Do I have everything right?”

Before Lupin could agree, however, he suddenly furrowed his brow. 

“What’s the matter Lupin?” Cardia asked.

“Shh… quiet. This is strange…” he said as he concentrated.

“Tch… Looks like ‘anything’ did come up,” Van Helsing sighed as he cleaned his gun. “The gentleman thief’s plans never do measure up, do they?”

“H-hey now, don’t scare me. Do you feel… some sort of presence?” Impey asked.

“Just the opposite. There are no footsteps from the floors above or below us…” Van Helsing replied. “We’re alone in this hotel right now.” After he mentioned it, I realized he was right. The hotel was strangely quiet all around us.

“Ahah, it seems that way,” Saint-Germain commented.

“How can you even tell that…? Are you wizards or something?” Impey muttered.

Suddenly, from outside, there was a high-pitched mechanical squeal which caused me to wince. “Ahem… Testing, testing!” a voice from outside said. “Ahem! This is Captain Rempart Leonhardt, of the Royal Family Guard! This hotel is surrounded by two hundred British soldiers! Surrender now!”

“Captain Leonhardt…?!” Victor exclaimed in surprise.

“Woah, woah, woah…! What’s he doing here?!” Lupin asked.

Saint-Germain shook his head. “Isn’t it obvious?” he said. “The government must have been made aware of our plans.”

“That’s impossible! There’s no way they could have caught on! I was so careful to cover my tracks!” Lupin protested.

Van Helsing moved towards another window and looked out before he said, “There’s no denying that we’re surrounded. If what this Leonhardt says is true… Two hundred, huh. Might be trouble.” 

“You think?! This is what’s called a dire situation!” Impey exclaimed.

“You’re right. Even if we were expecting some resistance we didn’t exactly prepare to fight off two hundred men,” I said thoughtfully. This really was going to be tricky.

“What are we going to do…?” Cardia asked quietly.

We all fall silent for a few minutes, grim and serious looks on our faces. Surprisingly, Victor was the one who broke the silence. “...Change of plans. I’ll draw their attention and you guys get out of here,” he said.

“What…?” Cardia muttered as we all looked at Victor in surprise.

“Leonhardt is the captain of Victoria’s personal guard. He works under different orders than Twilight,” Victor explained. “If that’s the case, then he’s only after me alone. I’ll tell them that I threatened you to shelter and act alongside me.”

“...But what will happen to you?” Cardia asked.

Victor smiled gently but there was a touch of apprehension behind it. “It’ll be fine. I’ll negotiate after I’ve been captured. I’ll get through this.” Victor acted as if he wasn’t going to take any protests. However, much to everyone’s surprise, Cardia suddenly spoke out.

“I won’t let you do this…!” she yelled. “It’s too early to start sacrificing ourselves to help everyone.” We all looked at her in shock, stunned. This caused her to ask, “What’s the matter?”

“Oh, it’s just that… you never really raise your voice like that…” Victor told her.

“But I can’t just… let you give yourself up for this…” she said, albeit a bit more quietly.

Victor smiled and looked like he was about to protest but Impey cut in before he could. “Yeah, me neither. My vote’s with her,” he said.

“Mine too,” Lupin agreed.

Victor shook his head, “I appreciate the sentiment… but this is probably the only way.”

Van Helsing then spoke up, “Victor. I reject your idea.”

“Wha- why?!” Victor sputtered.

“True, we’re surrounded by the army… but there’s always the possibility Twilight could take you away from the army’s grasp,” he said matter-of-factly.

“That’s…” Victor muttered but Van Helsing continued before he could say anything else.

“Twilight will use any means they can. They could hide you from the government on their own, and torture you,” he said. “Then, they will extract information on this girl’s whereabouts from you, and then we’ll all be in trouble.”

“He has a point,” I said, which caused everyone to look at me, “There are too many holes and problems with what you’re suggesting. Too many unknowns. It could cause more problems than it would solve. It’s not the wisest decision”

Suddenly, Leonhardt shouted from outside again, “...And you, Arsène Lupin! I know you’re in there as well! Expect proper retribution for what you’ve done! I swear I’ll see you in chains for interference with public duties.”

Lupin huffed, “That old man sounds more upset about me than he is about Victor…!”

Saint-Germain chuckled. “Ahah, then Lupin may prove to be a better decoy than Victor,” he stated. “But no matter the case, the ideal situation is one in which none of us is captured. If even one of us gets caught, there’s a chance that all of us will be placed at risk as a consequence.”

“I think so, too. Victor, this problem is bigger than just you now,” Cardia said.

“You guys…” the copper-haired man muttered,

“It’s okay. If it really comes down to it, we’ll throw you at them and run. So don’t worry!” Impey joked.

Cardia glared at him, “Impey, you’re terrible.”

“What?! I was just kidding! That was a joke! Stop glaring at me like that! ...It’s strangely attractive,” he exclaimed.

“...Thank you, everyone,” Victor said. He smiled for a moment before his expression became serious once again. “There’s one thing left that we can do. Let’s force our plan forward.”

“What does that mean?” Cardia asked.

“We’ll split into a diversion team and a negotiation team, and act separately,” he explained. “While the diversion team diverts the enemy’s attention, the negotiation team pushes past the guards to the Ornithopter. Then they’ll go straight to the ceremony and barge in from the sky, speak with Victoria, and negotiate for our safety. Worst-case, if the diversion team is caught… I promise I’ll get you out.”

Impey sighed, “I’ll go along with it if I must, but this is one crazy plan.”

“It’s the only choice we have. Our situation won’t improve if we continue to lay low here,” Van Helsing said. 

“I don’t mind. Either way, it sounds positively stimulating,” Saint-Germain said.

Lupin nodded, “Right then, we’re all going along with Victor’s plan. How about you Cardia, Y/n?”

“Yes I’m fine,” Cardia replied.

I sighed but reluctantly agreed. “I’ll go along with it. There is not much else we can do.” 

Once again Leonhardt yelled from outside, “Arsène Lupin and accomplices! This is your final warning! Surrender now, or who knows what will happen to you!”

“Sheesh… When did that old man’s top priority become capturing me,” Lupin muttered.

“Hey, Cardia… What exactly did Lupin do to Leonhardt?” Victor asked.

Cardia looked at him in confusion, “Huh? He rescued me from them.”

“He likely takes pride in his work and his position. He’s not a bad man, just a bit of a blowhard,” Van Helsing commented. “I bear him no ill will… But he needs to be silenced for a bit.” He quickly loaded his shotgun and placed himself against one side of the window. However, when he reached to open it something flew into the room, breaking the glass.

Smoke began to pour out of the object and my eyes widened as I realized it was tear gas. “Everyone, out of the room!” I heard Lupin shout. We all quickly fled into the hallway however, we were met with a row of soldiers who were waiting for us.

“Ha… hahaha… You’re so prepared,” Impey laughed humorlessly.

“I don’t remember that old man being this efficient…!” Lupin said.

Suddenly, a new voice rang throughout the hall, “You should always expect the unexpected! I thought that would be second nature to you.” A man with long purple hair and a blue scarf stepped out in front of the soldiers. I didn’t recognize him, but it seemed like the rest of the group did. “You’re much better at falling into traps than I’d hoped. I have to thank you for making my job so much easier,” he said.

“You…” Cardia muttered but before she could say anything else Lupin cut her off.

“It makes sense now… Herlock Sholmes! You’re the one acting behind the scenes here!” he yelled.

Sholmes simply smiled. “It honours me that one of the century’s greatest thieves, Arsène Lupin, knows my name,” he said and I almost rolled my eyes at his fake flattered tone.

“Sholmes… What are you doing here?” Cardia asked.

“Have you already forgotten what transpired a few days ago?” he replied. “I was hired by the government to assist them in their investigations. I told you that when next we met, it would be as foes. As I recall, I told both you and the gentleman over there.” He gestured to Saint-Germain but the count didn’t even look phased.

“Ahah, you’re a man of your word,” Saint-Germain said.

Sholmes continued as if he didn’t hear Saint-Germain at all, “Leonhardt has requested the arrests of both Victor Frankenstein and Arsène Lupin. He probably can’t stand the fact that the man he let escape is continuing to commit acts of terrorism.”

Van Helsing stepped forward a little. “How did you know we would be here today?” he asked.

“I have a massive number of criminological statistics, stored right here,” Sholmes replied as he tapped his forehead with a finger. “Lupin, I tried predicting your next move based on your previous crimes… And I’m pleased to say my analysis proved correct. The greatest thief of the century is still simply a criminal. This plan of yours is lacking in originality.”

“That was uncalled for,” Lupin said as he took offense to Sholmes’s statement. 

Sholmes chuckled, “ haha, no offense was intended. Now, let’s end this meaningless chatter and get you all arrested.” He snapped his fingers and the soldiers began to close in on us. At their movement, I slowly began to move my hands towards my daggers.

“I suppose we have no other choice,” Van Helsing said as he began to lift his gun. But Victor grabbed the barrel and lowered it. His action also caused me to pause right before I could grab the hilt of my blades. Victor and Van Helsing exchanged a glance before Victor looked at Sholmes again.

“...I apologize, but I can’t be captured yet,” Victor said.

“Well and good to say, but all your exits have been blocked. This hallway, the hotel lobby, even the streets are blockaded. There is no way out,” Sholmes replied.

“Yes, there is. Just one--hn!” Victor grunted while he threw a test tube from his pocket as it hit the floor at his feet.

Everyone was puzzled at this strange action when the floor suddenly fell through with a spectacular crash.

“Wah-!” I heard Cardia cry.

“Cardia!” Victor shouted.

We all landed on the floor together and I wobbled on my feet for a second before I regained my balance. I looked around at my companions and saw everyone was okay, including Cardia who was currently being held by Victor. Probably to protect her from the fall I assumed.

“Are you all right?” Victor asked her, looking concerned. 

She nodded her head, “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.” Victor then let her down and allowed her to stand up on her own two feet.

“Wooooooa! That was scary! Let’s get the heck out of here!” Impey exclaimed.

We all began to run down the hall and used the stairs to get all the way to the ground floor where we headed for the rear entrance. Luckily, we didn’t run into any more soldiers while we did this. 

“Was that some kind of bomb that explodes in the direction of its impact?” Lupin asked. “That would be a pretty handy gadget.”

“To be honest, it was a gamble… But I’m glad it worked out,” Victor admitted.

“Now what shall we do?” Saint-Germain asked as calmly as ever.

“I don’t know what to do,” Cardia said.

“Let’s keep going with Victor’s plan,” Lupin suggested, “Me, Van Helsing, Saint-Germain, and Y/n will handle the enemies around the hotel.”

“Hmph… A mere two hundred of them don’t pose a threat,” Van Helsing commented.

I scoffed a little under my breath, “Don’t get too cocky there…”

Saint-Germain smiled pleasantly, “I’m not very good at rough-housing, but I suppose we’ve no other choice.”

Lupin glanced back at Cardia. “Cardia, you go with Victor, got it?” he said.

She hesitated. “...Fine. I’ll leave this to you,” she said after a moment.

“Oh? I was quite certain you would opt to stay behind, knowing your personality,” Saint-Germain said in slight surprise. “That’s good judgment, Miss Cardia.”

“That’s fine. As long as I’m here, they will never be able to overpower us,” Van Helsing said. That statement was a bit overconfident for my tastes, but even I had to admit that Van Helsing was very strong. Knowing him he could take a majority of these soldiers on alone.

We all continued to run and we started to near the rear entrance when Saint-Germain suddenly shouted, “Watch out!” He pushed Cardia aside as a sharp sound cracked through the air.

“Woah what now?!” Impey asked as we all turned to look.

The count pushed Cardia behind him as several soldiers wearing black bird-like masks and dark clothing came dashing around the corner ahead of us. 

“Get out of the way…!” Van Helsing shouted as he shot at them. His fast gunfire blew away the approaching enemies in an instant and I couldn’t help but begrudgingly admire his quick draw.

“Why is Twilight here…?” Cardia asked.

“The police and military always make a show of taking action. I’m sure it was easy for Twilight to find out about it,” Van Helsing replied, never lowering his guns. As he said this, several more Twilight troops appeared and blocked our way. “Hmph. They just keep coming. ...So prepared,” he muttered. Van Helsing began to step forward but Saint-Germain put out a hand to stop him. 

“I’ll take this,” Saint-Germain said, an easy smile on his face.

“Count…?!” Cardia exclaimed in surprise.

He simply ignored her protests and kept speaking, “You go ahead. Especially you, Van Helsing. You have the important task of keeping the army’s soldiers at bay.”

Van Helsing looked at the count for a second before he put away his guns. “...Fine, let’s go,” he said to the rest of us. This got us all to start moving and we continued to run, leaving the count behind. Impey led the way, with me and Van Helsing right behind him.

“C-can we really just leave him?!” Cardia protested. 

“There won’t be a problem,” Van Helsing replied. “I can tell from the way he carries himself. The count is highly skilled.”

Abruptly, Impey shouted out, “Finally, an exit! Let’s get the hell out of this place!” He easily kicked down the door and the sunlight rushed in at us. I was impressed at how easily he kicked it down, he didn’t even seem out of breath from running like other humans would be.

I didn’t get to be impressed for long however, as when we stepped out about twenty soldiers greeted us. They surrounded the Ornithopter and had their guns trained on us. 

“Ugh… soldiers here too!” Victor said.

“Tch…! I hate to admit it, but it looks like Sholmes really did see through our plans,” Lupin commented. 

A man stepped out from behind the other soldiers. He wore a slightly different uniform and while I didn’t recognize his face, I did recognize his voice. “Arsène Lupin…! I’ve finally found you! It’s time for you to give in, at last!” Leonhardt shouted.

Lupin cried out in exasperation, “It’s like that old man doesn’t even care about Victor anymore…!”

“I will capture you right now and clear my name!” Leonhardt said. “Lupin and accomplices! Give yourselves up now!”

“Has anyone ever told him he doesn’t have to shout everything he says…” I muttered, already fed up with the old man.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do we do?!” Impey cried. “We’ve had so many close calls I don’t know what to do anymore!”

“It’s easy. If they can see through our plans, then there’s only one thing left to do,” Van Helsing said as he swiftly drew his guns. “Defeat them by force. Do they actually think they can stop me with this handful of peons?”

“You-! How could you defy the government when you’re supposed to be a hero!” Leonhardt exclaimed.

“...Hmph. I threw away any accolades a long time ago. I have no regrets,” Van Helsing replied. 

“You threw it away?” Leonhardt said aghast. “How dare you treat an honourable title given to you by Her Majesty that way! Arrest him for lèse-majesté!”

Before any of the troops could react to Leonhardt’s commands, Van Helsing moved and a series of explosions went off at the soldiers’ feet as a dust cloud rose. 

I could hear several soldiers coughing and shouting in confusion. Through the chaos, Van Helsing shouted, “Victor! We’ll clear the path. Run!” Several more shots rang out and I joined the fray, kicking down any soldiers that blocked the Ornithopter. From the corner of my eye, I saw Impey, Cardia, and Victor jump into the machine. It began to take off into the air when Leonhardt noticed them.

“Hmmm?! Are you intent on reaching Her Majesty?! I swear on my honour, I will not allow this!” he shouted. Leonhardt grabbed the side of the Ornithopter, attempting to drag it down, and the machine began to lean dangerously to the side. I could hear Impey shout from inside and Victor also said something as he tossed a tube into the old man’s face. I watched as Leonhardt tumbled to the ground and fell right to sleep, allowing the Ornithopter to quickly take off into the skies.

I let out a sigh of relief, watching them fly away when a soldier swung at me. I grunted as I blocked it, although I stumbled back a few steps. I huffed and grabbed the hilts of my daggers. “Enough of this. Guess it’s time for me to get serious,” I muttered as I promptly unsheathed them. 

I noticed Van Helsing and Lupin looked at me with wide eyes when the sharp blades made their appearance. “Y/n we can’t kill them!” I heard Lupin shout. At the same time, Van Helsing exclaimed, “Since when did you know how to use those?”

“Be quiet and let me work,” I told them. I quickly threw one of my daggers at a soldier who was aiming his gun at me. It hit the barrel, causing him to cry out as it threw off his aim and balance. I quickly ran over and kicked him in the head, effectively knocking him out. I then grabbed the fallen dagger, swiftly using it to hit another gun away from my face. I used the hilt to smack the soldier right in the temple and he crumpled to the ground.

“You’re pretty proficient with those!” Lupin said from behind me while he fended off soldiers with his cane.

“Pay attention to your own fight!” I yelled back as I dodged another bullet sent my way. 

The three of us continued to fight off the soldiers. Van Helsing fired round after round, Lupin smacked people with his cane while also tossing smoke bombs here and there, and I continued to throw my daggers and kick at anyone who got close to me. In the beginning, we seemed to be doing fine. However, as it continued we found it more difficult to fight against the continued waves of soldiers. We all began to fatigue slightly as we were slowly getting overrun by the sheer number of people coming at us.

I kept knocking soldiers out, vaguely aware that Lupin and Van Helsing were somewhere behind me. Van Helsing fired shot after shot and I began to worry that he would soon run out of ammo. All I could hear was yelling and gunfire as the fight continued. 

Unfortunately, because of all the noise, I had failed to notice a soldier fire from behind me. I let out a cry of pain as I felt the bullet graze my arm, tearing through my coat and shirt. I felt my grip on the dagger loosen a little before I tightened it as much as I could, however, I knew I could no longer throw or swing with that arm. Immediately, I turned around and focused my gaze on the soldier before throwing the dagger that I held with my uninjured arm. It hit the barrel dead on and I quickly went over to kick him in the solar plexus. 

“Y/n! Are you okay?” I heard Van Helsing shout, as he heard my scream.

I quickly picked up my blade before I yelled back, “I’m fine just focus on yourself!” I expected him to just go back to what he was doing, but instead, I heard his gunshots get closer to me. I was just about to throw my dagger at another soldier in front of me when he was pushed back by a blast of rock salt. I turned my head to see Van Helsing right behind me, his guns trained on the soldiers who were approaching us. “What are you doing?! I told you to focus on yourself!” I yelled at him.

“Yes, well I told Delacroix that I would watch over you!” he told me. He turned around to fire at some men coming up behind us, so we were now back to back. 

“I don’t need your help!” I said as I kicked down another soldier. I felt the blood from my arm wound seep into my clothes while it dripped down my arm. Nevertheless, I was still able to keep a grip on my dagger so I didn’t put it away.

“I’m not giving you a choice here Y/n,” he replied. Van Helsing didn’t look back at me as he shot some more soldiers.

I huffed and decided it wasn’t worth arguing with him anymore and just focused back on what I was doing. The three of us continued to fight off the soldiers even with our dwindling strength. At one point, Saint-Germain managed to meet back up with us and he also began to help much to our relief. However, even with his help the soldiers slowly began to get an advantage over us. Van Helsing was running out of ammo and all of us were getting pretty tired.

But just when I thought we were going to be overpowered Leonhardt yelled over the chaos. “Wait!” he said. “Stop! It’s the Queen’s orders! The attack is called off!” Slowly, his words began to register as the soldiers began to stop their assault on us. They all put down their guns and got into a more neutral stance.

Lupin, Saint-Germain, Van Helsing, and I all let out a collective sigh. It looked like the others had managed to come to an agreement with the Queen.

(...)

After we met up with the other three, we all made our way back to the mansion. None of us had sustained any critical injuries. We were all just beaten and bruised and definitely ready to rest. 

As we entered the mansion we all heard a bark and looked up. Dracula and Sisi sat on the stairs, waiting for us. Sisi barked happily once more as he ran over to Cardia and circled her legs.

“You’re back!” Dracula exclaimed. He immediately ran over and tackled me in a hug. I let out a light “oof” as he did but I smiled down at him and hugged him back with my good arm. As he backed up a little, he noticed the blood on my coat and the wound that peeked through the tear. “You’re injured! Are you sure you’re okay?!” he asked worriedly before he looked at Van Helsing in anger. “Van Helsing you said you would watch out for her!”

I put my hand on his shoulder and stopped him before he could do anything rash. “I’m fine my king. It’s just a scratch, nothing more. I don’t have any mortal wounds I swear.”

Dracula looked back up at me, “You better be telling me the truth…”

I smiled gently at him in reassurance, “I am don’t worry.”

He hesitated before nodding and the room was silent again for a moment. Saint-Germain then spoke up, cutting the slight tension.

“Alright everyone, let us retire to our rooms for the night. I think we are all tired after that ordeal. We can celebrate our victory tomorrow,” he said as he clapped his hands together.

All of us murmured in agreement and began to head to our respective rooms. I was about to follow Dracula when I felt a tap on my shoulder which caused me to turn around. To my surprise, it was Victor who sheepishly stood behind me.

“Um… if you don’t mind Y/n can you come back with me to my room for a second?” he asked. “I s-swear it’s n-nothing weird! I just want to cleanse and bandage your wound as you were grazed by a bullet.”

I thought about it for a second before I reluctantly nodded. I leaned down to Dracula and whispered, “Head on up to your room. I’ll be there in a little bit.”

His gaze flickered between me and Victor before he muttered a quiet “okay” and ran off, his cape billowing behind him.

I turned back to Victor and gestured for him to lead the way. He gave me a grateful smile and then proceeded to guide me through the halls to his room. In a couple of minutes, we reached his door and we stepped inside. He closed the door behind us and walked over to a trunk sitting near a wall. 

“You can take a seat on that chair over there,” he told me while he began to rummage through the trunk's contents. “I just need to get the rubbing alcohol and some bandages.”

I gratefully took a seat on the comfortable chair, leaning back as I could feel the fatigue from the day’s events settle into my bones. I closed my eyes for a moment while Victor retrieved his things. Eventually, the rustling noises stopped and his footsteps approached me. I opened my eyes as he set the stuff down on a nearby table before he turned back towards me.

“I’m going to need you to take off your coat and push down your shirt so I can see the wound…” he muttered.

I nodded and took off my coat however, I hesitated when it came to my shirt. I thought about it for a second before I unbuttoned my shirt enough so that I could slip my wounded arm out. That way I didn’t have to worry about Victor accidentally seeing anything. After I did this, he gently took my arm in his gloved hands.

“I’m sorry this might sting a little,” Victor said when he opened the rubbing alcohol and poured some over the cut. I hissed in pain and he murmured a couple more apologies as he wiped away the dried blood with a piece of gauze. We were both silent for a few minutes while he worked. Suddenly, without looking away from the wound, he said, “Thank you by the way.”

I raised an eyebrow at this statement, “What for?”

“For helping us, for helping me. Humans are your most hated enemy but you still chose to come with us even when there was obvious danger,” he replied.

I scoffed, “I already told you I wasn’t really doing it for you.”

Victor shook his head slightly, his copper curls bouncing at the motion. “You could have said nothing when I offered to sacrifice myself but you didn’t. You protested.”

“That’s because it was an unwise decision. It wouldn't have benefited us in any way,” I muttered.

“Still… you didn’t have to say anything, the others would have protested either way,” Victor replied. He began to wrap my arm in bandages, “No matter how much you deny it, I know deep down you’re a caring person… So that’s why I’m thanking you. You see me as an enemy but you still put yourself in danger for me. Regardless of your reasons, that deserves thanks.”

I remained silent, too stunned to speak, while he finished bandaging my arm. “There we go,” he said as he secured the end. Victor stood up to his full height and looked down at me with a smile. “You’re good to go.”

I snapped out of my stupor and flexed my arm little to test out the motion. Satisfied, I slipped my shirt sleeve back on and buttoned it up before grabbing my coat. I walked towards the door but right when I was about to leave I turned to look back at him. “Thank you for patching me up Victor…” I said softly.

“It was no problem,” he replied as he waved at me, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I nodded and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind me as I did. I paused for a moment outside of his room, taking a deep breath, before I began to make my way to Dracula’s room. However, right before I could get to the corridor where it was I saw Van Helsing leaning on the wall. He looked up at me as I approached and he straightened up.

I stopped and growled at him, “What do you want Van Helsing?” 

His eyes flickered to my wounded arm before they drifted back to the side. “...How’s your arm? Are you okay?” he asked.

I scowled at him. “You of all people don’t get to ask me if I am okay Van Helsing. You didn’t care two years ago, stop pretending that you care now,” I spat out as I began to walk past him but his next words stopped me in my tracks.

“Where did you learn to wield daggers like that?”

I looked at him in shock before it turned into anger once again. “What, were you expecting me to stay weak all my life? Did you expect me to not be able to protect the people I care about?” Normally I would never speak in such a manner, but whenever Van Helsing talked to me my professional demeanor was thrown out the window. My emotions got the better of me at those times. I could never control myself around him and I hated it.

Van Helsing shook his head. “I was simply wondering because normally you vampires prefer hand-to-hand combat,” he said.

“Vampires only using hand-to-hand combat is exactly why we were vulnerable whenever someone used a ranged weapon. You certainly took advantage of that didn’t you?”

“Y/n I-”

“No!” I shouted. “No, you don’t get to speak Van Helsing. For the past two years, I have been training, pushing myself harder and harder, teaching myself how to use daggers so that I could protect Dracula! So that I could protect the ones I cared about and so I don’t have to run away anymore. And you know who was at the source of all this? Who caused me to change? It was  _ you,  _ Van Helsing!  _ You  _ broke my trust.  _ You  _ betrayed my people who welcomed you with open arms, you betrayed  _ me _ ! And that will never change so you don’t get to ask me these questions! You don’t have the right!” Tears began to well up as I clutched my head, “I don’t understand… Why are you suddenly caring about me? If you cared why did you kill my people two years ago. You tore my life to shreds with your own hands so why are you showing me sympathy now. You keep throwing my emotions and thoughts into turmoil and I just don’t know what to think anymore…”

Van Helsing simply stared at me while I wiped my tears away. His face was as stoic and empty as ever. If I looked closely though, I could see the tenseness in his body, the pain in his eyes but I turned away from him before I could think too much about it.

“I’m going to bed now… I don’t want to see you for the rest of the night,” I muttered as I finally stormed away from him. Not looking back at him even once, even though I could feel his gaze burning a hole in my back.

(...)

“So… now that that’s all done… Cheers!” Impey shouted. We all clinked our glasses together. “Ahhh! The first drink after a hard day’s work is the best!” he said.

“Even though we had no choice at the time… Now that I think back on it, that was one reckless plan,” Saint-Germain pointed out.

“Seriously, it was really close. Thanks for saving the day Victor,” Lupin said.

Victor simply smiled as he replied, “I’m so glad I finished in time.”

It was the day after the mission. We were all gathered in the dining room for breakfast. A luxurious meal was spread across the table along with a newspaper opened to a particular article that talked about the events of yesterday and the false accusations against Victor. With an article like that widely spread, we could finally rest. Everyone was eating together, even Dracula had decided we should join, much to my surprise, and I didn’t protest.

“If old Leonhardt hadn’t said ‘It’s the Queen’s orders!’ and called off the attack, we might’ve been… I don’t want to say it,” Lupin sighed.

Saint-Germain agreed, “Those army soldiers were one thing, but the members of Twilight were really going for the kill.”

“Hmph,” Van Helsing interjected. “I could have kept fighting without any problems.”

Lupin huffed, “Yeah right. I know you were almost out of ammo.” I nodded along with his words, Van Helsing could pretend to be confident as much as he wanted but we knew even he had been getting panicked. 

I felt Van Helsing glance at me but I refused to look at him. After my outburst last night, the air between the two of us was tense and I couldn’t even bring myself to meet his gaze or acknowledge him. Even when we woke up this morning, neither of us made an effort to try and talk to each other and so I decided I wouldn’t speak to him unless it was absolutely necessary. 

“Victor really was amazing. That must have taken so much courage,” Cardia said.

Victor chuckled, “Haha, that’s nice of you to say. Honestly, I was so nervous that I can’t even remember what really happened.” He then noticed that Cardia had gone silent and asked, “Why are you so quiet all of a sudden Cardia?”

This seemed to snap her out of her thoughts as she looked back at him. “Oh...it’s nothing,” she replied.

“Hey, let’s keep things cheerful!” Impey exclaimed. “It’s a rare treat that Delly and Y/n have joined us here! Isn’t that right you two?”

Dracula blushed slightly while I bit back a laugh. “S-silence! Don’t call me by that wretched nickname!” he exclaimed. “I was tasked with the responsibility of caring for my subordinate, Sisi. It is my duty to ensure that he gets fed and Y/n needs to stay by my side. That’s the only reason why we’re here.”

“You really care about Sisi don’t you, my king. Is it perhaps because you are both pups?” I teased as I rested my chin on my palm.

Dracula groaned and glared at me slightly. “Y/n!” he protested. I simply smiled at him as I ruffled his hair. He batted my hand away before he went back to eating, shoveling the food in his face.

“Ahah. There’s no need to eat so quickly. There’s more where that came from,” Saint-Germain told him.

“Saint-Germain is correct. You’re going to choke,” I said. I reached out with a napkin and wiped his face. He pouted but he didn’t stop me as he continued to eat.

Cardia giggled before she looked at Victor and asked, “Now that we’re officially protected by order of the government, we can relax a little, right?”

“Yes, I suppose… for the time being,” he said hesitantly. “We don’t know when they’ll turn their backs on us again, so I think it’s important for us to remain defensive. And I highly doubt that Twilight will give up on capturing you just because of this.”

Lupin shook his head, “Don’t worry about that stuff. They don’t know where this mansion is, and we’ll still be watching out. Even then, we can still focus more on our search for Isaac than we could before.”

“Yes, about that… I’ve actually found a lead I think is promising,” Victor said.

“Really…?!” Cardia asked.

“Yes. Well, it’s more like a lead to a promising lead,” he replied.

Impey sighed, “Riiiight… I mean, I’m starting to feel like we’re never going to find the guy.”

“That would be a problem…” Cardia muttered.

“You’re right. ‘Never’ would be a problem,” Saint-Germain said. “I’d at least like to track him within the next two or three centuries.”

“Hang on. Sainty-G, you know we’ll all be dead by then, right?” Impey said dumbfounded.

Van Helsing ignored him and steered everyone back to the topic at hand. “So what exactly is the lead-to-a-lead you speak of?” he asked.

“About that…” Victor said. However, before he could continue the doorbell rang, catching us all off guard as we fell silent.

“Oh… do we have a visitor?” Cardia asked.

“Have we _ ever  _ had visitors here…” Impey replied.

Saint-Germain shook his head, “No we haven’t.”

Cardia shifted uneasily as we all exchanged a look. “Then, whoever’s at the door…” she said.

“...Is surely some sort of uninvited guest,” Victor finished.

We all tensed, wondering who was at the door. I moved my hand towards the knife that sat on the table next to me. It wasn’t my daggers but it would do in a pinch. However, before anyone could say anything else the door of the room suddenly opened. We all turned to look at the intruder as he gave us a pleasant smile.

“Good day, gentlemen. Ladies,” Sholmes greeted.

“Sh-Sholmes?!” Lupin sputtered.

“There was no response, so I invited myself in,” the man calmly replied. “What’s this? Are you in the middle of a celebration? It would appear I’ve dropped by at just the right moment.”

“Wh-what do you want?! Are you here to capture us?!” Lupin exclaimed. At his words I lightly touched the handle of the knife, preparing myself in case anything happened.

“No, I would never do that. I prefer to keep my work and my private life separate,” Sholmes stated. “And as you are no longer criminals, there is no need for me to arrest you.” After he said that I put my hand back in my lap, although I never took my eyes off of him.

“Then… Why are you here?” Cardia asked.

“I’ve come all this way to inform you that I’m no longer your enemy. You should be more grateful. I don’t bring gifts, but I do have good news for you,” he replied. “It won’t be publicized, but Victoria is openly chastising Twilight. Severely, at that. It seems the damage they brought upon London while trying to shoot you down had incurred her wrath.”

“Ohhh… Those attacks,” Impey said in realization.

“Because of this, Twilight’s activities will likely be restricted for some time,” Sholmes continued.

“They were too eager for success and dug their own graves,” Van Helsing commented. “I’m a bit embarrassed for my old workplace… but it’s worked out to our advantage.”

“Indeed. I’m sure they’ll continue their operations, but they’ll certainly be more subtle about it. I don’t know why Twilight is after you… Just be on the lookout,” he told us.

“That is indeed good news. Thank you for coming all the way here to tell us,” Saint-Germain said as he smiled and nodded.

“I mean, it is good news, but…” Lupin said. “Never mind that! How did you find out about this place?! I didn’t leave any traces for you to find!”

Sholmes looked at him in mock surprise, “Is that so, Lupin? Then I must deduce that your housekeeping skills are subpar. You left traces everywhere.”

“Y-you little…!” Lupin sputtered and I couldn’t help but smile slightly at his ire. I had never seen Lupin so flustered before.

Saint-Germain lightly patted him on the back. “There, there, Lupin, don’t be so rude. Mister… Sholmes, was it?” he said, trying to keep the air amicable. “Since you’ve already made the trip here, why don’t you come in and enjoy some of our party food? In exchange… please keep the location of our mansion under your hat.”

“Oh? You think you can bribe the great detective Herlock Sholmes with food…” Sholmes said as he narrowed his eyes. He paused for a second before his usual pleasant smile reappeared on his face, “Well then, don’t mind if I do.”

“You are one easy detective to bribe!” Lupin exclaimed.

“He’s toying with Lupin, isn’t he?” Cardia muttered.

Victor chuckled a little, “Haha. I guess everyone has at least one nemesis.”

I nodded. “You do have to admit though, it is quite humorous. I have never seen Lupin lose composure like this,” I said, beginning to eat once more. My words caused Cardia to giggle slightly and she smiled at me. I couldn’t help but quickly look away from her gaze, my conflicting feelings churning in my chest again.

“...Hm. It seems like you’ve gathered an interesting group here,” Sholmes said. “Now that we’re all acquainted, I think I’d like to come back once in a while to visit.”

“Don’t you come back here! Hurry up and get out!” Lupin protested.

We all couldn’t help but laugh at the desperation in Lupin’s voice. This banter continued throughout the meal as we all allowed ourselves to relax after several days worth of work. While everyone talked, I couldn’t help but glance at Dracula. For once he didn’t seem too uncomfortable in these people’s presence. He didn’t talk much but he also didn’t leave the room until the meal was over and I smiled at this.

However, at the same time, I still felt so conflicted. My brain was telling me not to trust these people, to not get comfortable, and to remain on guard. But my heart kept reminding me about how they had treated me and Dracula with nothing but kindness. 

I definitely did not think of them as my friends at that moment, but I also couldn’t help but wonder if it was possible to trust humans again. To build relationships between our people. Would that road lead us to safety or would it lead us to the flames of hell? I honestly couldn’t even tell anymore and that’s what scared me the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez, this chapter is over 10k words long... Sorry about that, I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway. Next week's chapter is also long so let me know if you guys prefer longer chapters like this one or the shorter ones. Thank you for the continued support!


	6. A Very Reluctant Ally

I laid on my back, sprawled across my bed. It was the day after the celebration and normally I would be in Dracula’s room but I needed some time to myself to think. I had already checked on him in the morning before retreating to my room, under the guise that I was feeling tired and required rest. He had shot me a concerned look but didn’t say anything before he allowed me to leave. I had been spending the rest of the afternoon lost in my thoughts, not even noticing time passing. 

I sighed and covered my eyes with my hands. It felt like my thoughts were drowning me as if they consisted of a tumultuous sea and I was at the mercy of the waves. I tried, again and again, to break free to the surface but I was simply pushed down every time. My lungs were screaming for air but all I could breathe in was saltwater as it burned my lungs and throat.

The other day, when we were celebrating our victory, it felt _nice._ I felt almost comfortable around those humans and I could tell Dracula felt the same. But we shouldn’t feel that way. We were supposed to get revenge for our people, supposed to show humans the same pain and anguish we felt two years ago. But now we were hesitating, _I_ was hesitating. We were beginning to see that not all humans were bad but at the same time, we couldn’t just let go of our previous view of them. We couldn’t let go of our pain.

I took one of my hands off my face and instead placed it over my heart. I gripped my shirt, balling the fabric in my fist as if that would get rid of the pain coursing through my veins. As if that one action could cure me of my inner turmoil and lead me to a decision. 

This morning I could tell Dracula was also second-guessing the decision to join the others the day prior. He had refused to go down for breakfast and we had eaten the meal in his room like we usually did. From his body language, I could tell he was also struggling with his own feelings about humans. Ever since we had left the vampire mansion we had begun to change. Our perspective and view shifting the longer we had stayed here. 

However, I couldn’t say that this change was bad. If anything it was for the better. Dracula wasn’t constantly consumed by anger and hatred as he had before. I had allowed myself to feel more emotions in the past few weeks than I ever had in those two years staying in the vampire mansion. I felt more like myself and not like the dutiful, emotionless advisor I had forced myself to be ever since the massacre. 

I felt so lost, not knowing what to do and what to think. Should I hang onto that flame of hatred or allow itself to burn out? It didn’t feel right to forgive the people that had murdered my race, my family. But at the same time, it didn’t feel right to categorize them all as bad. Not when the people in this mansion have treated me and Dracula with so much kindness.

“Mother… Father… what should I do…?” I muttered into the silence of the room. Of course, I got no answer. I was alone, and this was my decision to make. All on my own.

As I thought this I suddenly heard a noise from Dracula’s room. The sounds were slightly muffled due to the walls but I was still able to make them out. Confused, I sat up and listened closely.

“Sisi! How long have you been in here?!” I heard Dracula exclaim, “h-hey! What are you doing! Stop it! Do not pull on my clothes! I forbid it!” The commotion only grew louder, as I heard some barks and crashing. 

I got up and threw my door open, forgetting my coat, as I stepped out into the hall. I looked over at Dracula’s door, only to see Cardia standing there with a tray in her hands. It seemed as though she was carrying Dracula’s dinner, as well as mine. She turned to look at me as I closed the door behind me before walking over. I stood beside her and glanced at Dracula’s door once more. “What are you doing here? What is going on with my king?” I asked.

“I was just here to ask you and Delly if you wanted to join the rest of us for dinner,” she replied, “he refused and I was about to move to your door but it seems like something is happening inside.”

Both of us then turned back to the door as we heard Dracula shout once more. “Why are you pulling me towards the door?! Y-you traitor! You’re supposed to be my minion! I refuse to eat with those humans!” he exclaimed, “st-stop, fine! All right!”

The noises then stopped. “Delly?” Cardia asked. However, she got no response. “Oh, a-are you all right? I heard some noises…” she tried once more.

I was about to call out to him as well when the door opened, revealing the young king. Sisi slipped between his legs and rubbed up against Cardia. “Sisi!” she said with a small smile. The dog simply looked up at her with a good-natured doggy smile of his own. He seemed proud of himself, almost as if he was saying “look, I’ve brought Delly out to you!”.

Dracula didn’t say anything. He had his eyes closed, an exasperated look on his face. There was a moment of silence before Cardia said, “um… So, dinner-”

“For your information, I am not ‘opening up’ to you,” Dracula said, cutting her off, “it is said that a wise ruler always lends an ear to a subordinate’s advice. Sisi wants me to join your meal… that’s all.” He was trying to be assertive but the slight flush on his face kind of undermined that image.

“I understand…” she replied. She then turned to me and asked, “will you be joining us too Y/n?”

I thought about it for a second before I looked at Dracula. “Would my king like me to be present for the meal?” I asked. This caused Dracula to pout a little, the blush on his face darkening even more. He shot me a glare before turning away again and simply nodding. At this motion, I grinned a little but hid it with a small bow in his direction instead. “Well if that is what my king wishes, then I shall go.”

Cardia smiled at me while Dracula let out a huff. He turned away, looking disgruntled before he began to walk ahead. Sisi ran over to join him at his feet as Cardia and I followed close behind. We all made our way to the dining room in silence and as Dracula pushed the doors open we were greeted by the others.

“Come on over!” Impey exclaimed as we walked in, a big grin on his face.

“What’s up, Delly and Y/n. You going to start joining our meals now?” Lupin said. Although I knew he meant nothing by it, the teasing lilt in his voice caused Dracula to bristle a little.

Victor gave us his usual friendly smile. “We welcome you both, Delly, Y/n.”

Delly glared at all of them. “Stop calling me that!” he protested, “I had no choice in the matter, as Sisi was quite insistent.” I patted him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him a little. He glanced at me but said nothing and simply crossed his arms.

“I’m just here for my young king. Please do not mind me,” I told them but they all still continued to smile at us. These people really were too friendly for their own good.

Saint-Germain then piped in. “Aha. Meals are always more enjoyable with a bigger group. I welcome you two to the table as well,” he said his usual neutral smile on his face. 

This comment from the count seemed to push Dracula over the edge. He stared at the man in surprise for a second before his face lit up in a blush. “I...I change my mind. We’re eating in my room,” he cried, “come on Y/n!”

The boy started to turn around and I was about to follow when we were stopped by Van Helsing. “...Stay here and eat,” his voice was quiet but it held such strength behind it that Dracula and I paused immediately. “If you want to keep an eye on me so I don’t escape, isn’t it better if we were to eat together.” For the first time since our confrontation in the halls a couple of nights ago, my eyes met Van Helsing’s. I didn’t look away, once again trying to figure out what was going through his head.

“...Don’t presume to tell us what to do,” Dracula muttered. This caused Van Helsing to look at him instead of me and I felt my body relax just the tiniest bit once his indigo eyes were no longer on me. 

“Come on, guys, chill out,” Impey said, “Here, sit right there. I cook the meals so they taste great when we all eat together as a group.” He ushered us towards two empty seats that were next to each other, pushing us towards the table. I almost batted his hand away but he removed it before I could. Impey took his own seat, that same blissful grin on his face causing me to sigh a little.

“Now… let’s enjoy our meal,” Saint-Germain said. At his words, all of us began to eat the food in front of us. The meal was delicious as per usual and I couldn’t help but savour each bite, although I didn't let that show on the outside. 

Dracula on the other hand was eating as ravenously as he usually did. The young king continued to shovel food into his mouth as he said, “Hmph. Human food! It’s so mediocre! Mm[h, hmph!”

“Your actions are saying otherwise my liege…” I said, “also please slow down a little, you are going to choke and you should remember your manners.”

Cardia also spoke up after I reprimanded him, “you’re being rude to the cook.”

Dracula glared at the both of us before letting out a “hmph” while Impey chuckled a little. “It’s fine!” the red-haired man said, “I can tell how Delly feels about the food by the way he’s scarfing it down.”

These words caused the young boy’s eyes to soften a little, and he paused in his eating. “No, they’re right… My words were disrespectful, considering that I’m being provided with food.”

I nodded in approval. “I have to say, it is quite good. A lot better than anything I cooked in the past two years.”

This caused Cardia to look at me curiously. “You can cook Y/n?” she asked, pausing in her own eating. 

“Yes. Although I am nowhere near as skilled as Impey. My food pales in comparison to his,” I replied before I took another bite of the breakfast.

Dracula shook his hand frantically at my words. “I like your food too Y/n! It’s just as good as your father’s was!”

In his hurry to reassure me, Dracula didn’t notice he mentioned our past by accident. I didn’t correct him, however, choosing to smile at him instead. He was always so quick to defend me, even against myself. “Thank you, my king, but you flatter me,” I said as I ruffled his hair a little. He looked like he wanted to protest some more but he just went back to eating.

Impey smiled, whether it was at the little exchange or my compliment I couldn’t tell. “Glad you like it. Good thing, huh, Van Helsing? You were the one who was most worried.”

I looked up at Van Helsing but he didn’t say anything. He instead chose to continue eating as if Impey didn’t say anything in the first place. He also refused to even look at me or Dracula, firmly keeping his eyes on his plate.

“Ahah, is he pretending not to hear you?” Saint-Germain commented.

Impey yelled in protest, saying Van Helsing should listen when he is being spoken to which caused everyone to laugh slightly. I bit back a giggle as everyone continued to talk amongst themselves.

Even though I didn’t talk much, I didn’t feel as awkward as I thought I would. Instead, it felt almost warm, to be welcomed by everyone, to sit at the table and eat as a group. It had been a long time since I felt that feeling.

(...)

_I was walking through the woods by the vampire mansion. For once I had a free afternoon, as Dracula was being watched by his mother and she had allowed me to take a break for the rest of the day._

_“You’re always working so hard Y/n. You more than deserve to take a break every now and then. Don’t worry I’ll tell your father it was an order from me if that’s what you’re worried about,” she had said to me when I protested. When I went to say something else I had been pushed out of the room before I could get a word out, the door closing behind me._

_Although I should have been put off by that, I couldn’t help but feel grateful. I knew the queen really did care for me and was just doing this for my own good so I had set off to make the most of my time._

_As I made my way through the trees I smiled and inhaled the fresh air. The woods had always been like my small safe haven. It was a place where I could let go of my duties and relax. I felt relieved that the queen had given me the rest of the day off as she was right, I did need and deserve a break._

_I eventually reached my destination, which was a small clearing. A few wildflowers dotted the grass, which I avoided as I walked to the middle of it and laid down on my back. I got comfortable as I laid on my back and stared up at the sky. It was always so peaceful here, it was my own special spot and I always felt myself being drawn here whenever I had a moment to myself. I sighed as I relaxed, there was nothing better than this._

_“Miss Y/n is that you?”_

_I sat up quickly with a small yelp. I looked around to see who had addressed me and my eyes eventually landed on a man with dirty blond hair who stood at the edge of the clearing. It took me a second to recognize him but as I did I let out a sigh of relief._

_“You scared me a little there Mr. Van Helsing,” I told him as I brought my knees up to my chest, resting my head on them while I hugged my legs._

_“Apologies I didn’t mean to,” he replied, “I just saw you while I was walking by and was wondering what you were doing.” Van Helsing at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish. He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked away from me._

_I smiled a little at this. “You don’t have to stand there, you know. Come sit with me, I want to get to know you more,” I said. When he glanced at me, I patted the grass beside where I was sitting._

_He hesitated, not moving from his spot. “I wouldn’t want to disturb you,” he said._

_I waved off the statement. “If I didn’t want to be disturbed I wouldn’t have extended an invitation out in the first place. Come on, sit,” I told him. Van Helsing still seemed a bit conflicted but did as I said and took a seat next to me. I gave him another small smile before I went back to watching the clouds. The man shifted a little, trying to get comfortable on the grass and dirt. After he was settled he also began to look at the sky._

_Neither of us said anything for a few minutes, just enjoying the peace. However, Van Helsing eventually asked, “why are you just sitting here in the forest Miss Y/n? I’m surprised you aren’t with Dracula.”_

_I hummed as my grin slowly fell from my face. “My queen decided to give me the rest of the day off and she is looking over Dracula instead,” I replied, “and whenever I have time to myself I like to come out here.”_

_“Is there a reason for that?”_

_“Well… In the mansion, I always have to be aware of my actions because of my duties. I’m Dracula’s advisor after all and I was raised to act a certain way,” I explain as I curled up into myself even more, “it’s not like I don’t enjoy my position… but it’s tiring having to go over my every move. Out here I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing me so I can fully relax.”_

_“I see,” he said, “you have a lot of expectations resting on your shoulders.” From the corner of my eye, I saw him glance at me for a second. He talked a little stiffly as if he wasn’t quite used to talking to others. He was trying his best though and that caused me to giggle a bit._

_“Yeah, I guess so. But I would do anything for Dracula… I don’t think I’ll ever regret my position as his advisor.” I paused for a second and took a deep breath before smiling at him again. I relaxed a little, loosening my grip on my legs. I looked at him curiously and asked, “so how are you finding living in the mansion? Are you adjusting well?”_

_Van Helsing looked surprised, probably not expecting me to change the topic to him. He cleared his throat and composed himself. “You don’t have to trouble yourself with me, Miss Y/n. I’m adjusting just fine. Everyone has been very welcoming to me despite the fact that I’m human.”_

_“I’m glad to hear that. You’re strong and good in combat so I’m not surprised you’re respected here. Vampires are a warrior race after all.”_

_“How did you know I was good in combat?”_

_I chuckled at his question. “Word gets around Mr. Van Helsing. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone who lives here already knew about your strength.” He huffed a little and looked put off by that fact, but didn’t say anything as I continued. “I honestly really admire how strong you are. I’ve been training since I was appointed as Dracula’s shield two years ago, but I don’t think I’m anywhere near as good as you in combat.”_

_“You just need more practice,” Van Helsing said matter-of-factly, “the more times you’re in combat scenarios the more you grow. No one is instantly good at it, you have to hone your instincts.”_

_We both fell silent after he said this. I began to think about something, wondering if it was okay for me to even ask in the first place. But I really did want to get better in combat and had nothing to lose so…_

_“Mr. Van Helsing… do you think you could train with me every once in a while?” I asked._

_His head whipped towards me as my question caught him off guard. He opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times before he said, “why?”_

_I blushed slightly, embarrassed by his reaction but I didn’t let it deter me. “I think I could learn a lot from you. You’re clearly stronger than me, as I’ve said before and I think it would be good for me to learn from someone else so I can be informed on different fighting styles.”_

_Van Helsing seemed to think about it for a moment, still hesitating. I couldn't help but hold my breath, praying for a positive answer. It took him a few minutes, but he eventually came to a decision. “...Fine. I’ll help you every once in a while when we’re both free.”_

_A smile appeared on my face at his words. “Thank you so much, Mr. Van Helsing! You don’t know how much I appreciate this,” I told him._

_“You don’t have to make such a big deal out of it…” he muttered, “but I won’t go easy on you Miss Y/n. I expect it to be taken seriously.”_

_“Of course I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I said with a nod. I paused for a second, thinking about my next words carefully. “...You know you don’t have to call me Miss Y/n. I would prefer if you just called me Y/n. You’re not that much older than me after all. Plus if we’re going to be spending more time together you don’t have to be so formal.”_

_“...Alright that’s fine with me,” he replied after a moment, “but if I’m just going to call you by your name then you can just call me by Van.” He then smiled at me, and even though it was only a small grin, I couldn’t help but think it made him look so much more approachable._

_My own smile only grew wider at the sight. “Van it is then!” I said happily._

(...)

I woke up with a start, shooting up into a sitting position. My breaths came in and out as sharp pants. As I began to recognize my surroundings as my room in Saint-Germain’s mansion, I slowly began to calm down. I groaned as I clutched my head. My fingers dug into my hair, scratching at my scalp. 

Why did my brain decide to pick that specific memory to dream of. 

“I don’t want to remember those times…” I muttered into the empty room. I didn’t want to recall those times where I was happy in his presence. It’s not like we could return to them. We couldn’t return to how we once were and it was useless to look back on it. 

My heart ached. It felt like poison was being pumped through my veins as the pain extended down my limbs and seemed to fill my entire body. The Van Helsing from my memories was gone. He was dead. My perspective of him murdered by his own two hands. It was possible I never even knew the true Van Helsing, he could have been faking those smiles, that happiness.

I ripped my covers off my body. Even the soft blankets felt too suffocating in that moment. I needed to get out of my room for a bit. A walk would do me some good and would help me calm down. I ran one of my hands through my hair as I grabbed my coat, pulling it over my nightclothes.

By the time I closed the door behind me, I had already decided on going to the kitchen. It would make for a decent walk and I also needed a glass of water, so going there killed two birds with one stone. Luckily, I didn’t encounter any trouble making my way there. My trek passed without incident.

When I reached the kitchen, most of my emotions were back under control. My professional mask back in place. I let out a deep breath as I pushed open the doors, only to be met with a sweet smell when I inhaled. Surprised, I looked up to find the source only to see Impey sitting on a stool by the counter.

He looked equally as shocked before his usual grin appeared on his face. He raised his hand in greeting, “hey Y/n! I didn’t expect to see you here so late.”

I cleared my throat as I walked over to a cabinet. Opening it, I grabbed a glass and made my way over to the sink. “Believe me this definitely isn’t a habit,” I said as I filled my glass with water, “besides I could say the same thing to you. What are you doing here so late?”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I was having some trouble sleeping so I decided to do something in hopes it would tire me out.”

I nodded my head in understanding as I raised my now full cup to my lips. Taking a few gulps, I let the cool liquid soothe my throat. It helped get rid of the dry sandpaper feeling that had been lingering since I woke up. After I drank about half of the water in my glass, I took it away, letting out a satisfied sigh as I did. Impey watched me the entire time, a gentle smile on his face. It seemed that the dead of the night seemed to calm even him down some, as he seemed to lack his usual energy.

Normally, I would have exited the room right after that but this time I had something to ask him. Plus I was a bit curious about what was causing the sweet smell that was present in the room. Walking a bit closer, I realized the oven was on and I couldn’t help but peer at it in wonder. “What are you using the oven for?” I asked.

“Ah well I decided to do some baking to distract myself,” he explained, “I’m just making a simple cake.” Impey seemed to hesitate as he fumbled over his next words. I simply raised an eyebrow at him in questioning. He seemed to take this as a go ahead as he said, “it’s almost done so if you’re willing to wait you can be the first one to have a taste.”

I could only blink a few times at his suggestion, analyzing the words in my head carefully. My silence seemed to make him panic a little as he opened his mouth to say something but I spoke before he could. “If you don’t mind my company I’ll stay for a little longer,” I said.

Impey’s face broke out into a wide grin. “I don’t mind your company in the slightest! You’re a lovely lady after all!” he said, shooting me a wink.

I huffed at his words but didn’t say anything to retort. Instead, I pulled out a stool and took a seat at the table in the middle of the room. We sat there in silence for a few minutes before a small timer beside Impey went off. He quickly stopped it as he put two oven mitts on his hands. Opening the oven, he took out the cake and set it on a coaster laying on the counter. I took a deep breath, as the sweet scent was now even stronger. It smelled delightful and I found myself waiting in anticipation as Impey took out some whipped cream and fresh-cut fruits from the fridge.

“Oh did you prepare those before I came in?” I asked, curious about his process.

Impey nodded. “I had nothing else to do while the cake was baking so I figured it would save time to make the toppings while I waited.”

“I see…” I muttered. I watched as he took the cake out of the pan, putting it on a nice plate. He then cut it in half so he had two layers. He began to spread the whipped cream on the first layer while also placing the fruits. I couldn’t help but glance at his face while he worked. Unlike his usual goofy grin, Impey now had a serious expression on his face. It seemed like he didn’t even notice my gaze as he didn’t let anything break his concentration.

After a few more minutes he put the spatula down and let out a huff of satisfaction. Impey stepped back to admire his work, a pleased grin on his face. He truly did decorate it beautifully. Even though he had said it was a simple cake it still looked like it was made by a professional. The fruits were arranged in a way so they fanned out from the middle, coupled that with the clean way he spread the cream it looked lovely. 

Taking out a knife, Impey cut into the cake and carefully transferred the slice to a smaller plate. He handed it to me along with a fork. “Here you go! Tell me if it matches your tastes okay?” he said.

I took it from his hands and nodded. Cutting off a small bite, I put it in my mouth. As I expected, it was delectable just like all of his food. I continued to take more and more bites, quickly finishing off the slice. I wiped my mouth and looked back up. The red-haired man was simply smiling at me gently, and I felt slightly embarrassed that I basically just devoured the cake. I cleared my throat in an attempt to compose myself before I said, “it was delicious as always. Thank you for giving it to me.”

“I’m glad you like it! I wasn’t sure if you liked sweets after all,” he replied. He began to eat his own slice that he had cut while I was eating. I sipped at my water slowly, trying to choose my next words carefully. There was something I had been curious about for a while but I had to mind where I stepped. One wrong move and the situation could become worrisome.

“May I ask you something Impey?” I said, after a few moments of silence.

He shot me a curious look. After swallowing the food in his mouth he said, “sure go ahead.”

I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves. This was something I had been pondering for a while now and I wanted to confirm my suspicions. I just hoped Impey wouldn’t react badly.

“Are you a vampire?” I asked.

His eyes widened at my question, and I saw his entire body tense. I could see some panic swirl in his eyes as he looked from side to side. It was almost as if he was looking for a way to escape the situation. He was silent for a second before he rigidly said, “what makes you think that?”

“I started to suspect it the first day my king and I stayed in this mansion. I had noticed your rather sharp canine teeth, and while it could have meant nothing it is a rather telling vampire characteristic,” I explained, “what really made me sure of it was when we were escaping that hotel the day we confronted Queen Victoria. You were able to run swiftly and without getting tired. You had been the one in the lead, easily keeping up with both me and Van Helsing. Plus, you were able to kick the door open with ease. This simply showed how strong you were and how your physical abilities are higher than an average human’s. While this wasn’t concrete evidence it gave me enough proof to suspect you.”

Impey was silent throughout my entire explanation. He nervously looked at the floor, his cake placed aside on the table, only half-eaten. It seemed as though he had lost his appetite, as he sat on his stool uneasily. Once I finished he didn’t say anything for a few minutes and I let everything sink in. Eventually, he let out a big sigh.

“I don’t really see the point of hiding it any longer, seeing as you basically figured me out,” he said. Finally returning his gaze to me, he looked at me with the most solemn expression I had ever seen him wear. “...You’re right. I’m a vampire.”

I couldn’t help the sharp inhale I took at his admission. There was another beat of silence before I asked, “...why? Why do you continue to live with the humans after what they did to our people? They killed almost all of us. It was a genocide. You must have lost someone you care about due to it as well.”

“Well… I can’t say I didn’t lose someone because of the war. Someone very important to me as you said,” he said, “however I was never angry. I was simply sad. Plus there’s something I want to do more than get revenge on humans.”

“And what’s that?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Finally, his melancholic expression disappeared as he smiled at me once again. His eyes shone with determination as he said with absolute confidence, “I want to go to the moon.”

At this answer, I couldn’t help but stare at him in disbelief. “...Are you serious?”

Impey laughed at my incredulous look. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly while he said, “as serious as I can be! That’s always been my goal and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. There’s nothing else I want to do in life.”

I simply sat there, trying my best to process his words. While I understood the desire to complete a goal, that was the reason he didn’t want to get revenge on humans? To me it was simply preposterous, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. But as I looked into his eyes I saw no signs of deception. These were his honest feelings and thoughts. And while I didn’t agree with him, who was I to demean those feelings.

“Alright… Even if I don’t understand it I won’t try to convince you otherwise. I can see it’s a lost cause anyway,” I sighed as I took another sip of my water.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he gave me a grateful look. “Thank you for understanding,” he said, “...also could you please not tell anyone else about it? I don’t want them to know.”

As I pondered his words, I couldn’t help but think it felt wrong to hide something from Dracula. He was my king and I felt like I should tell him. I was his advisor, his guardian, and I was never one to keep secrets from him. But at the same time, it wasn’t my secret to tell. Impey clearly didn’t want the fact to be revealed. Plus I knew if Dracula found out he would ask Impey to join us, and I already knew how that would go.

“Fine, I won’t tell anyone. You have my word,” I told him after sitting there in silence for a few minutes while I made my decision.

Impey’s smile grew even wider. “Thank you so much Y/n. You don’t understand how much that means to me.”

I just nodded. It was strange. I had walked into this kitchen hoping to calm down and forget my dream, never expecting to encounter someone. And while I did succeed in my initial task, I had also somehow built a stronger bond with someone I least expected to get along with. I felt that same warmth I felt during dinner fill my chest once more. Maybe it really was okay to trust at least some of these people, even if my feelings on humans were still conflicted.

(...)

It was the next day and everyone was eating breakfast together in the dining room.

Impey and I didn’t mention our conversation from last night but when I had entered the room he had given me a wide smile and a wave. I didn’t say anything but I had nodded in recognition before taking my seat. It seemed as though we had a silent agreement to pretend as if nothing had happened while we were around the others.

The meal had passed with the usual conversation and banter and soon enough we were wrapping up. Dracula and Sisi had both finished their food first and were about to leave. I got up to follow but Victor called out for me before I could leave my spot.

“Y/n could you stay behind for a second?” he asked, “We’re going to be talking about something that could be of interest. And we might need your help in this task.”

I hesitated. My gaze flickered between Dracula, who was still waiting by the door, and Victor. I was about to tell Victor that I had to go with my king but the look in his eyes stopped me. Victor looked up at me with pleading eyes. I knew he wouldn’t protest if I refused, he was too timid for that, but I felt a bolt of guilt shoot through my heart. He had helped wrap my wound a couple of nights ago. I felt like I could at least hear him out.

After a minute or two of internal debate, I sighed. My eyes met Dracula’s and I waved my hand a little, telling him that he could go ahead and I would catch up later. He glanced at the others and then gave me another worried look before he nodded. He and Sisi exited through the door as it shut with a dull thud. I sat back down in my seat right after, shifting a little under the weight of everyone’s gaze.

“Thank you Y/n,” Victor said, giving me a grateful smile.

“There is no need for thanks. Just get on with what you want to say before I regret not leaving,” I said. I leaned my head against my palm which I had propped up using the table. I stared at Victor, giving him all of my attention. I could tell this was going to be a serious conversation.

Victor nodded before he began his explanation. He began to tell all of us about how the man they were looking for, Isaac Beckford, had his own secret research lab. Apparently, this is most likely the place where the gem embedded in Cardia, the Hologorium, was created. Victor also explained that the Hologorium was based on Zicterium, a material created in search of the philosopher's stone. This also meant the Hologorium was the forerunner to the philosopher’s stone. Some of the terms I had never heard of, so it took me a little while to understand everything. However, the most important thing was clear and simple to grasp. If we found Beckford’s laboratory, we would be able to understand the gem embedded in Cardia and her past.

After he finished his entire explanation he took a breath. “That’s everything I know. I apologize for not telling you until I was certain about this information,” Victor said.

“So that means… we’ve pretty much figured out where our target’s home base is, right?” Impey asked, “isn’t that a big deal?”

“Hmm. I don’t think it’s that simple,” Van Helsing retorted. 

This seemed to make Impey a bit confused as he asked, “why?”

Instead of Van Helsing, Saint-Germain spoke instead. “That definitely is a promising lead, but…” he said, “Victor mentioned last night that he had a lead to a promising lead, which means that there’s something else we need to do.”

Impey looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “Woah… Right, you’re right… A lead to a lead seems so tedious. I wish we could just take care of it all at once!”

“This man does seem quite tough to track down. It’s a lot of work just to even pin down a lead on him, let alone actually find him,” I muttered. I intertwined my fingers together, placing the folded hands in front of my mouth as I said this.

Lupin shook his head. “No use whining. It’s a hundred times better than having nothing to work with.”

“Yes. We need to keep moving forward, one step at a time,” Cardia agreed. They were right. Some information was better than no information and I couldn’t stop myself from nodding.

“So Victor, what’s your other lead? What steps should we take?” Lupin asked.

Victor nodded firmly before he replied. “I want you to obtain something that will lead us to the whereabouts of Isaac’s laboratory.”

“‘Something’? That’s awfully vague,” Van Helsing commented, “ do you have something in mind, or are you trying to avoid talking about it?”

“It’s going to be trouble…” Victor said as his eyes narrowed, “It’s something that all the organized crime groups in London are guarding with all they’ve got.”

“Guarded by gangsters… Ahah, I see,” Saint-Germain murmured.

It seemed as though everyone but Cardia and I knew what Victor was alluding to. Impey had placed his forehead against the dining table, clearly not liking what was being referenced. However, Lupin, Van Helsing, and Saint-Germain were all grinning, looking almost excited.

“Care to explain what you are referring to for me and Cardia?” I asked. Cardia nodded along with my statement, looking at Victor curiously. 

“What we need to obtain… is the prize from the Black Gathering,” Victor said. His expression was grim, it seemed as though whatever he was talking about wasn’t pleasant.

“The Black Gathering?” Cardia asked.

“It’s a location you’ve already been to several times,” Saint-Germain explained to her, “do you remember that event that takes place by the River Thames?”

“I remember. It’s where we met Van Helsing,” she said.

Lupin snickered. “That place where a certain unfriendly four-eyed fellow caused a scene.”

I bit back a laugh of my own as Van Helsing sighed. “Stop using me as a point of reference…” he said.

“This is also the same place where you met my king and I, correct?” I asked, wanting to clarify as I wasn’t there for the event they were referring to.

“You are correct Y/n,” Saint-Germain said before he continued his explanation. “It’s a long-running event, and on the last day there’s a grand competition that takes place to wrap it all up.” The count then smiled. “And that’s the airship race that caps off the ending of the Black Gathering.”

“The Black Gathering. That means it’s a day when those from the underbelly of the city gather in large numbers,” Van Helsing said, “they’re an unruly bunch, but they’re rich. The police and the military turn a blind eye, as long as they don’t do anything violent.”

“An airship race…” Cardia muttered, “I can’t imagine what an airship race would be like.” I couldn’t help but share her sentiment. I wasn’t really familiar with airships, only hearing about them as vampires weren’t really fond of science and technology. I had seen them from afar but never up close.

“This is also one of Issac’s achievements. He created a material that he called Aero Carbonium,” Victor clarified, “it’s very light and sturdy, and can easily be mass-produced. As airship technology advanced, other uses for them appeared.”

“Father sure did a lot…” Cardia muttered in shock.

“Yes, his work has changed the history of mankind. He is worthy of the title of modern-day Prometheus,” Saint-Germain said.

Van Helsing cleared his throat. “Back to what we were talking about, what do you mean that the prize from the airship race is a lead?” he asked.

“Well… the prize for this competition is said to be a posthumous collection of Isaac Beckford’s work,” Victor replied.

“A posthumous collection…” Cardia said.

Saint-Germain tapped his chin in thought as he said, “a posthumous collection from a man whose death has yet to be confirmed. They’re really getting ahead of themselves.”

“That is quite peculiar… If some people still think he’s alive then what is the point of calling it a posthumous collection,” I commented.

Van Helsing shook his head, causing me to look at him. His eyes were closed, an exasperated expression on his face. “The prize is worth more if Isaac is believed to be dead. That’s all,” he said. I thought about his words for a second before I realized he was right. If Isaac was dead then his knowledge was even more valuable, as no one else in the world knew his secrets.

“Posthumous collection… So, basically, it’s a bunch of papers and stuff, right?” Impey asked, “how much value could that possibly have?”

“I’m sure there are countless collectors who want to obtain them at any cost since they’re from the legendary Isaac Beckford,” Saint-Germain replied, “but how did such a thing end up as a prize for a race? No matter the content, I would assume his writing is classified information. I don’t see how it came to be in their hands.”

Victor piped up. “From what I’ve heard, the writings were originally under the guard of the Royal Society. Greed got the best of one of the society members, and he sold the documents to some millionaire.”

“A classic case of taking what’s not theirs then…” I muttered. I touched the pocket on my coat where I had put my father’s pocket watch. Cardia noticed my movement and shot me a look of sympathy but I waved my hand, gesturing that it was fine.

“I see. Then they made their way through the underground society, and ultimately arrived at the Black Gathering,” Saint-Germain said. Victor slowly nodded at this, agreeing with the count’s logic.

“Documents written in Father’s hand…” Cardia said, “you’re right. There must be something in there about the Horologium.” Her hands clenched into fists underneath the table.

Lupin grinned, “that’s easy, then. I’ll just go steal it.”

“...I would advise against that,” Victor replied after a moment of hesitation.

“Why?” Lupin asked as he looked at Victor in confusion, “I can easily get past some criminal’s line of flimsy security.”

Victor shook his head, his copper curls bouncing. “I’m not doubting your abilities. It’s just… Since that attack by Delacroix and Y/n, the criminal world has set aside their pride and started asking for help.”

“So what?” Lupin said, an unimpressed look on his face.

“The prize will be guarded by none other than Herlock Sholmes,” Victor finished.

“All right! Let’s enter the race and get this lead fair and square, shall we?” the gentleman thief said. He had a tense and nervous grin on his face which caused me to almost smile in amusement.

“You’re so quick to adapt!” Impey exclaimed. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open.

Cardia looked over at Lupin. “You really don’t like Sholmes, do you, Lupin?”

“He’s more like a nemesis at this point,” Victor murmured as he looked down at the table.

“I couldn’t agree more,” I commented. A small grin had managed to fight its way onto my face, but I hid it behind my folded hands.

Van Helsing smirked. “Are you already waving the white flag?” he asked, “you usually talk a much bigger game.”

“Wh-what white flag? I’m tired of his persistence. Just to be clear, I’m not running away from him!” Lupin protested.

Victor smiled as he added, “fun bonus: Sholmes is not only involved in the security, but he will investigate if the item gets stolen.”

“You hear that? Exactly as I’d suspected!” Lupin exclaimed as he gestured at Victor, “this is a strategic retreat, understand?!”

“Retreating is just another name for running… But if that’s how you’d like to word it, let’s leave it at that,” Saint-Germain said, trying to calm everyone down. As fun as it was to see Lupin get flustered, we did have to get back on topic.

“Besides… Entering the race is fine and well, but what are we going to do about an actual airship?” Van Helsing asked, “we can’t even join the race if we don’t have basic equipment.”

Cardia raised her hand slightly before she asked, “um… why don’t we have Impey make one?”

Impey tilted his head, his face pulled into a thoughtful frown. “Hmmm! I’m happy you’re depending on me for this, but if you want me to make something from scratch, time and money…”

“Then should we buy one? You said the amount of money Lupin brought back was enough to buy an airship,” she suggested.

But Impey still looked troubled. “Hmm, I’m not sure. We could probably buy an average airship with that,” he replied, “but trying to win a race with something like that would be difficult, even for Impey, the great engineer. There’s a wide range of airship designs. Faster ones can easily go over 100 kilometers an hour.”

My eyes widened and Cardia looked equally as shocked. 100 kilometers was a huge number, just how fast would that actually be…

Impey continued, “besides, this isn’t your average race. If we join with some shabby airship, we’ll be shot down, and then that’s it for us.”

“...Shot down?” Cardia asked.

“Miss Cardia, you can’t forget that the sponsors of this race are members of the criminal underworld,” Saint-Germain replied, “in this race, competitors are allowed to attack one another. All attendees need to sign a contract releasing the exhibitors of liability in the case of injury or death.”

Cardia looked down at the table, “what an intense race…” I shared her sentiments. Dying in a race seemed a little extreme in my opinion. But if it was a race run by criminals then it’s not out of the realm of possibility. 

“But we have to enter. All the more reason to join, if winning the race means we all get closer to our goals,” Van Helsing said, “Impey, how much money would you need to modify an airship so that it stands a chance in this race?”

Impey grinned and winked. “Well, with my technical skills, if we had the money to buy two mid-sized airships, I could guarantee our victory.”

“Two… it costs that much?” Cardia questioned.

“Things get more expensive if you want them to get better than average,” Impey explained, “ask anyone else, and you’ll be charged five airships’ worth!”

“Hmph… Then I’ll do something about procuring a basic airship. Impey, start thinking about your remodeling plans,” Lupin said.

Victor looked at him, worried. “‘Do something’... Do you have something in mind?”

“I do indeed! Don’t worry about it, you’ll find out tomorrow,” he said with an impish grin on his face. The rest of them looked at him curiously but didn’t say anything to protest.

I raised my hand slightly and cleared my throat, causing their attention to switch to me. “That’s all well and good but I have a question,” I said, “why am I here? What do you need me for?”

Victor hesitated for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “I asked you to stay here because I was wondering if you could help us,” he finally blurted out.

My eyes widened. I straightened in my chair slightly and crossed my arms, taking a guarded position. “Why would you need my help? It’s not like I know much about airships.” I asked.

Victor shifted, a little uncomfortable as I stared at him waiting for an answer. “Even if you don’t know much about airships it’s always helpful to have another pair of hands. You would just have to follow instructions,” he explained, “this is going to be a difficult and dangerous airship battle. We need all the help we can get. Please Y/n.”

I sat there for a few moments, contemplating his words. No matter how much he pleaded, I knew he was giving me a choice here. Just like earlier when he asked me to stay I could refuse if I wanted. And honestly, I was tempted to. As he said, this was a dangerous airship battle that could end in death. I didn’t want to leave my king behind alone, with no one to guide him or keep him company. I simply couldn’t do that to him.

But as I looked at the people sitting at the table, my eyes lingered on Victor, Cardia, Impey, and Lupin most of all. They were all looking at me with pleading eyes, but there was also a spark of hope in them. It was almost as if they had faith I would help them and that made me feel slightly guilty. These people had treated Dracula and me with such kindness. They had given us a place to stay, had been concerned about our wellbeing, and had helped us take back what we had lost. If I abandoned them now it would just be cruel. Thinking about leaving them high and dry made my chest ache for some reason, and I knew what I had to do. However, I wouldn’t let them know just how much I was starting to care.

After a few minutes of deliberation, I sighed. “Fine I’ll help,” I said, causing Victor’s eyes to light up. I ignored this and continued, “but just know I am only doing this to ensure he doesn’t die.” I pointed at Van Helsing, “it is my king’s wish to kill Van Helsing with his own two hands. If he were to die before my liege had a chance to do so, then everything we have done for the past two years would be for naught.” It was a simple excuse, but a believable one. I kept my face serious and neutral, not letting my emotions get the best of me.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the others hesitate and wince at this, but Van Helsing never broke my stare. He looked directly into my eyes, unwavering. This almost caused me to look away but I stood my ground. It felt like he could see right through my excuse as if he could see all of my inner turmoil that I was trying my best to hide away.

The others exchanged looks for a few more moments before Victor spoke up. This also caused me to break my little staring contest with Van Helsing to look at Victor instead. “Alright… even if that’s your reasoning we still appreciate your help. Thank you so much Y/n.” He gave me a grateful smile and I just nodded at him.

There was a moment of silence before Lupin said, “alright if that’s all settled, I’ll be taking off then. Have fun house-sitting!” He then got up out of his seat and confidently marched out of the dining room.

The rest of us watched the door close behind him. “I wonder what Lupin’s going to do,” Cardia said.

Van Helsing shook his head. “Knowing him, it’s probably nothing decent,” he replied.

“I totally agree. Like Van Helsing says, he’s going to do something out of the ordinary for sure,” Impey sighed.

“Haha… I hope he doesn’t bring back any trouble with him,” Victor chuckled nervously.

“I couldn’t agree more,” I said. Lupin had a knack for attracting trouble, but at the same time, I knew he was good at what he did. He did manage to get back all of the vampire belongings after all.

“But he’s not the type to exaggerate without reason,” Saint-Germain commented, “we’ll just have to sit tight and wait.”

Everyone nodded as we all began to get out of our seats. The count was right, the only thing we could do is wait and hope Lupin manages to come through with what he promised.

(...)

The next morning I had just finished getting ready for the day. After pulling on my coat, I was about to go check on Dracula when a sudden vibration shook through the entire room. Surprised, I went over to my window to check if anything was going on outside. My eyes widened as I took in the sight in front of me. A large airship was in the sky above the mansion. I didn’t expect them to be so large and I stood there in shock trying to process it.

“Hoy! Are you up? Airship delivery!” Lupin’s voice rang out from the ship. He waved and smiled through a window.

After another second I broke out from my stupor and quickly made my way out of my room. Dracula was also in the hall when I exited and he looked at me excitedly.

“Y/n! Did you see what’s outside?” He asked. Sisi was standing by his legs, and the dog also let out a few barks as if he too was excited about the airship.

I smiled back at the young boy. “I did. Shall we go take a closer look?” I asked him.

“Yeah! Come on let’s go,” Dracula said. He took my hand and began to run through the halls, tugging me along. Sisi followed close behind, barking the entire time. 

We quickly made our way outside only to see most of the group already standing in front of the mansion. Cardia was the last one to arrive, coming out a few minutes after me and Dracula. We all stared up at the vehicle with round eyes, in awe of the machine.

“Wow…! S-so this is an airship?! It’s gigantic!” Dracula exclaimed. His mouth was hanging open in shock and he never looked away from the massive vehicle. Sisi was still barking excitedly and he ran around Dracula’s legs in circles.

“That’s right, it’s an airship. Is this your first time seeing one, too?” Cardia asked him, glancing at the young boy.

He shook his head. “No… I’ve seen them several times in the air. But this is something else… I didn’t realize it would be so big!” the young king replied.

Impey laughed. “You get it, Delly! This kind of thing is a true man’s dream, isn’t it?”

“F-fine! Sisi insists on looking at it up close, so I am going to approach the airship. Do not attempt to stop me!” Dracula exclaimed. He completely ignored Impey’s attempt at making a conversation. Instead, he picked up Sisi in his arms and ran towards the airship at full tilt.

“Be careful! You can look at it but don’t do anything stupid,” I called out. The young boy didn’t make any indication that he heard me and I sighed. I couldn’t help but shake my head as I smiled a bit. I hadn’t seen him so excited in a while so I wouldn’t scold him for that.

“...So now even Delly’s ignoring me. What happened to respect for my dignity?” Impey said, a tired look on his face.

“Please forgive my king. He’s simply very excited,” I said to him. Impey still let out a huff, regardless of my words and I giggled silently behind my hand. 

Cardia then decided to change the topic as she asked, “Lupin said he’s delivering it. What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Who knows…? I think that’s the question we’re all wondering about right now…” Victor replied looking troubled.

As we stood around, Lupin appeared from within the airship and looked over at all of us. He looked satisfied at a job well done. “Aren’t you all up early? You could’ve slept in a little, you know,” he said with a mischievous grin and laugh.

“...And? Where did you steal this from?” Van Helsing asked in his usual serious tone. His eyes were narrowed as he looked suspiciously at Lupin. “You’d better not have done anything stupid that would ruin our negotiation with Queen Victoria!”

Lupin simply waved his protests away. “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about it. I stole this from somebody we wouldn’t feel guilty about. No problem at all.”

Saint-Germain seemed to catch onto what Lupin was implying as he smiled. “...Ah. Ahah… I see. How very you. You might even get an award from Scotland Yard for this,” he said.

“An award…?” Cardia asked curiously, “um… So where did you steal it from?”

“...No idea,” Van Helsing replied, looking exasperated as his eyes were closed.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff,” Lupin said, avoiding the question altogether, “how about it, Impey? You think you can fix her up for the race?”

Impey looked at the airship thoughtfully. “It’s a preeeeeetty old model…” he said, “Let’s see… Hmm… I guess it’ll depend on the budget I have available.”

Lupin smiled at him. “Don’t worry about the money. Just keep working until it’s a winning ship. That’s what I stole it for.” He then turned to look at the rest of us. “So, while Impey’s working on this, the rest of us will have to--”

“Gather the funds for this remodeling?” Van Helsing finished. Lupin nodded at this question and Van Helsing closed his eyes thoughtfully. “...Tch. I suspect we have no choice. To get a large sum quickly… Maybe I’ll sign up for a short-term bodyguard job.”

“Raising funds… Hm. Selling the patents for a few new drugs would probably bring in a good amount…” Victor muttered to himself.

“Hmph. Either way, we won’t be able to move forward unless we win this race...,” Saint-Germain said, “Fine. I shall aid you with funding this time.”

“What can I do…” Cardia muttered. She seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments before she said, “Um, Impey, I can’t raise money, so I was thinking that maybe I could help you… Would you mind?”

Impey grinned at this suggestion. “Of course not! Not only do I not mind, I’d totally welcome it! We’ll make great progress with a fine assistant like you.”

“...Thank you. I’ll work hard, Impey,” Cardia replied with a smile of her own.

“Heh heh heh… While we’re at it, I can even show you how to fly the airship! Of course, we’ll have to get pretty cozy,” he said.

At this statement, we all looked at him with suspicious expressions. I raised my eyebrow as I scrutinized him. I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.

“Impey… Just because you two are left alone, don’t go making any moves on her… All right?” Lupin told him.

Saint-Germain chuckled. “Ahah. If he does lay a finger on her, there will be some melting involved.”

“Um… What are you talking about?” Cardia asked. It didn’t seem like she understood what everyone was hinting at.

“Uh… W-Well, it’s not really relevant to the task at hand… Haha,” Victor laughed nervously.

While he said this I looked away from the rest of the group, unsure of what I could do. It’s not like I could go out and earn money. If it was revealed I was a vampire nothing good would come from it, even with the protection of Queen Victoria. I also couldn’t help Impey and Cardia with the airship as I had no mechanical knowledge. I had no idea how I could help them.

As I thought this Saint-Germain suddenly called my name. I looked up at him in surprise and he gave me his usual gentle smile. “Why don’t you help me with some of the chores around the house while everyone else is doing their own tasks? You mentioned a few days ago that you could cook, so if you took care of that it could help relieve some of the load on Impey.”

I hesitated for a moment as I glanced at Dracula. What would he think? But then my eyes met Impey’s and he gave me a subtle nod. Things would be fine. I took a deep breath before I turned back to face Saint-Germain. “Alright. I can at least do that,” I said.

“Excellent. I’m sure you’ll be of great help,” he said, his smile never disappearing from his face.

“All right, time is money,” Lupin interrupted, drawing everyone’s attention back to him, “we don’t have much time before race day. Everyone go make as much money as you can!”

With his shout, everyone went off to fulfill their duties. I called out to Dracula that I was going to go do some things before I followed after the count. Hopefully interacting with him wouldn’t be as awkward as I predicted it would be.

(...)

A few days after Lupin had returned with the airship I found myself walking through the streets of Steel London with Saint-Germain. Everyone had been hard at work, going in and out of the mansion non-stop. Cardia and Impey were busy working on the airship while everyone else was trying their best to earn money to cover the remodeling. 

Meanwhile, my days were occupied by helping around the mansion while still watching Dracula like I normally did. He had seemed weirded out that I had begun doing the household chores but realized that with everyone else being busy it was for the best. I still hadn’t told them I was planning on going with the others to the airship race. Like when we had confronted the Queen, I decided I would tell him closer to the date. However, I wasn’t sure if I should reveal my true feelings or not. I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t loyal to him but at the same time, I felt bad hiding it from my king.

“Y/n are you alright?” Saint-Germain said, “you look a bit tense.”

“I am fine. Apologies for making you think otherwise,” I replied. He shook his head as he shot me a look that said “don’t worry about it”.

The two of us were going around shopping for essentials, like food and such. It was just the two of us and I couldn't help but put a couple of walls up. I didn’t really know the count very well besides the fact that he was good in combat, as he was able to take on Twilight soldiers by himself. It made me feel apprehensive that I was alone with a man I was still unfamiliar with while walking through a city that was still foreign to me. It didn’t help that I was surrounded by so many humans I didn’t know.

“Are you sure you’re alright? You’ve seemed particularly uneasy ever since we left the mansion,” the count asked.

“Truly I am fine. You do not have to worry about me,” I replied.

“...Is it because of my presence?”

I whipped my head around to face him. My eyes were wide. How did he know? 

The man simply chuckled lowly at my expression. “Seems like I hit the nail on the head then.”

“W-What made you think that?” I asked. I managed to quickly compose myself, taking on a neutral look. Not many people could see through my professional mask so it unnerved me that he could.

Saint-Germain hummed. “Well, you had seemed fine this morning when we were around the others. You acted as you normally did, although I can still tell you’re a bit stiff when you’re with our group,” he explained, “however as soon as we left you had become even tenser than before. You seemed uncomfortable even before we had entered the crowded streets so I deduced it had something to do with myself. Am I wrong?”

I didn’t say anything for a few seconds. I was in shock that he had been able to get such a good read on me. “No you’re not wrong…” I finally said, “if anything you’re spot on.”

“Ah, I see. I don’t mean to pry but is there a reason why you are uncomfortable around me in particular?”

“...I simply don’t know you that well. It’s a habit for me to be suspicious of people unless given a reason to believe otherwise. The only thing I know about you is that your physical capabilities are very high,” I replied. My voice was quieter than usual. Even if it was only a small glimpse into my true feelings it felt weird to admit them to the count. It felt weird to explain my emotions and thoughts in general, as I was used to being the stoic and serious advisor. It was how I was raised and those manners were ingrained into my very soul.

“Interesting. You are very cautious aren’t you,” he said. Although he was still smiling, the expression had slightly shifted. He almost looked sad or as if he pitied me.

I bristled at this comment. “I am my king’s advisor and shield. I have to be cautious at all times,” I stated, my voice firm and resolute. “I can’t trust just anyone. Especially after what happened two years ago. My people were killed because we foolishly trusted a human, and I swore to never make that same mistake.” I recited the words I had repeated to myself over and over ever since the war. However, even to me, they felt empty, almost as if they held no weight anymore.

It seemed as though Saint-Germain was able to pick up on that but he didn’t comment on it. Instead he said, “while it’s always good to be cautious, not all humans are the same. Yes there are some bad ones, but you shouldn’t let that affect your view on every single person. I understand some of them hurt you badly but there are some kind ones out there.” He paused for a second and gave me his signature mysterious smile. “While I’m not saying you should immediately trust everyone you meet, I think it’d be good for you to have an open mind. Humans could always surprise you after all. And some of them could even squirm their way into your heart.”

“...You talk as if you’ve learned this from experience,” I said.

The count just continued to smile at me before he turned to face forward again. “Well let’s keep going, shall we? We need to purchase everything and return to the mansion before dark so no one worries about us.”

Although he completely disregarded my comment, I wasn’t put off by it at all. Instead, I felt a bit more comfortable around the man after having heard his opinion. Despite still being hard to read, I felt as though I had been able to see inside his head slightly just from those few sentences.

As we finished our shopping, Saint-Germain’s words kept ringing through my head. However, I didn’t have the strength to tell him that perhaps some humans had already managed to sneak into my heart. I simply wasn’t ready for that quite yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after months, I am back. Sorry for the long wait everyone. This chapter has been sitting in my drafts for months but I didn't want to release it without editing it. Hopefully, I can write a few more chapters now that I'm on my winter break. Although there might be another wait depending on how busy I get. As always thank you for the continued support!


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